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Trends in paediatric injury rates using emergency department based injury surveillance
1Children's Emergency Department, Auckland District Health Board and Department of Paedeatrics, University of Auckland, New Zealand. michaels@adhb.govt.nz
Insights
Paediatric injury rates significantly increased from 1998-2005. Emergency department data accurately tracks injury trends and severity, informing prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Emergency departments are crucial for injury surveillance.
- Accurate paediatric injury data is essential for effective prevention.
- Previous methods for calculating paediatric injury rates from surveillance data were limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for calculating paediatric injury rates using Emergency Department (ED) surveillance data.
- To describe trends in paediatric injury incidence and severity.
- To assess the utility of triage category as an indicator of injury severity.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study was conducted in Brisbane, Australia, from 1998 to 2005.
- Paediatric injury data from ED surveillance was analyzed.
- Injury incidence was calculated using postcode restrictions, census data, and quality assessments of surveillance data and alternative hospital presentations.
Main Results:
- The incidence of paediatric ED injury presentations rose by 56% between 1998 and 2005.
- Adjusted injury incidence increased from 5,323 to 8,316 per 100,000 person-years (p<0.01).
- The incidence of urgent or more severe injury presentations increased by 16%.
Conclusions:
- A reliable method for determining paediatric injury incidence from ED surveillance data was established.
- Triage category serves as a valid indicator of injury severity.
- Significant increases in paediatric ED injury presentations, including serious injuries, were observed between 1998 and 2005.
Objective:
The primary aim of this study was to develop a method of calculating paediatric injury rate from Emergency Department injury surveillance data and use this to describe trends in paediatric injury. This study also aimed to establish whether triage category could be used as an indicator of severity.
Methods:
Prospective observational study of paediatric injury in Brisbane, Australia from 1998 to 2005 using Emergency Department injury surveillance data. Injury incidence was calculated using postcode restriction, census data and analysis of injury surveillance data quality and alternative hospital presentations.
Results:
The incidence of Emergency Department injury presentation increased by 56% between 1998 and 2005. The incidence of injury (adjusted for ascertainment and other hospital presentations) increased from 5,323/100,000/year to 8,316/100,000/year (p<0.01). The overall incidence of admission increased from 1,066/100,000/year to 1,238/100,000/year (p<0.01). The incidence of injury presentations triaged as urgent or above increased by 16% over the study period (2,348/100,000/year to 2,723/100,000/year, p<0.01).
Conclusion:
Injury incidence can be determined using Emergency Department injury surveillance data and triage category is a useful indicator of injury severity. Paediatric emergency department injury presentations, including serious injury, increased significantly between 1998 and 2005.
Implications:
The methodology used in this study is easily repeatable and could be used to evaluate injury prevention interventions. The prevention and management of injury should be directed by accurate injury incidence data.
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