Permanent impairments, disabilities and disability pensions related to accidents in Norway

The purpose of this study was to estimate the burden of accidents in terms of new disability pensioners related to accidental injuries in Norway and to use this information to supplement the picture of the epidemiology of accidents in Norway. The basis of the study was 7,241 new disability pensioners due to accidents in the Disability Register of the National Insurance Administration in Norway for 1992-1997. Included in the analyses are some data from health surveys in USA and Norway. The rate of disability pensioners (16-66 years old) due to accidents increased 4% annually during 1992-1997, and in the age group 16-44 years 8% annually. The increase is found in all types of accidents, except for home and the group other accidents, where the rate is constant. 45% had been injured in traffic accidents, 33% in occupational accidents, 16% in leisure accidents, 4% in home accidents and 2% in other accidents. The rates of disability pensionings due to occupational accidents are three to four times higher among 'blue collar' workers than among 'white collar' workers. While disability pensioning rate in the age group 16-66 years due to accidents has increased 4% annually, the accident mortality for the age group 15-64 years has decreased 3% annually. The relationship between disability pensioning and mortality in the age group 15-64 years is found to be approximately 2:1 for all accidents. For occupational accidents the relationship is 5:1, for traffic accidents 2.5:1, for leisure and other accidents 1:1 and for home accidents 1:2.7. The complete epidemiologic picture due to accidents in Norway per 100,000 of population seems to be: medically treated, 10,000; hospitalised, 1,200; permanently impaired, 800 (of whom probably 50% are treated as out-patients); disabled (restricted activity), 400; fatalities, 40; and disability pensioned in the age group 16-66 years, 50. Medically treated and hospitalised patients due to accidents seem to show a slightly decreasing rate, fatalities a higher decreasing rate. This supplement to the epidemiological picture of rates and trends of impairments, disability and disability pensionings (the more serious consequences of accidents), points to the need to focus on the current trends for accident prevention.