Background
Britain and Ireland (IOBI) is a virtual injury-specific observatory based on collaboration between population/public health observatories in Britain and Ireland. The work builds on a successful model in Wales – Collaboration for Accident Prevention and Injury Control (CAPIC).

Aims
The thematic observatory aims to support injury prevention practitioners by making important and relevant injury information and tools available in one website. These include:

• evidence based interventions – a continuously updated summary of systematic reviews of what works in preventing injuries;
• policy support for prevention – abstracts and links to all policies and strategies that support injury prevention;
• analysis of trends in injury deaths, hospital admissions and injury occurrence across countries and England regions;
• access to prevention tools – eg the online SAFEHOME;
• latest injury prevention news – through access to various electronic newsletters.

Progress report (updated February 2008)
The IOBI website was launched during 2007. The site is a valuable resource for injury prevention policies, strategies and research, and will continue to be developed.

IOBI has conducted an analysis of mortality data comparing standardised death rates in Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. This data and commentary are available to download from the IOBI website.

IOBI, in association with CAPIC, published its first Injury Prevention Newsletter in January 2008 and this will continue to be produced three times a year.

Contact: Steve Barron