The spectrum of farming accidents seen in Irish general practice: a one-year survey

A one-year prospective survey of farming accidents in three Irish counties recruited 37 general practitioners in a wide geographical sample. The response rate to the survey was 84%. There were 319 accident cases seen by the general practitioners in the survey period, and 175 (55%) of these were farmers. Children accounted for 52 (16%) of all accident cases. The majority of cases (256, 80%) were treated by the general practitioner, and the spectrum of injuries treated was very broad. Many injuries required extensive suturing and follow-up of soft-tissue injuries. General practitioner coroners were involved with five fatal farm accident cases. It is concluded that the Irish rural general practitioner is providing a significant trauma service to farm accident victims, and is a valuable source of information on these incidents. The general practitioner would be a local source of expertise in a health education campaign directed at increasing the awareness among the farming community on the extent of farm accident morbidity and mortality. Continuing education for rural general practitioners should be directed towards regular updates on trauma management.