Injury hospitalisations for children and young people: a 20-year review

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood injuries can have significant lifelong consequences. Quantifying and understanding patterns in injury severity can inform targeted prevention strategies and policies. This study examines the characteristics of child injury hospitalisations in the Australian Capital Territory over 20 years.MethodsThis study is a retrospective analysis of Admitted Patient Care Collection data for persons aged 0–24 years who were hospitalised for an injury between July 2000 and June 2020. Injury severity was assessed using International Classification of Injury Severity Scores based on survival risk ratios.ResultsThe age standardised rate for injury hospitalisations increased significantly from 10.2 per 1000 in 2000/2001 to 21.0 per 1000 in 2019/2020, representing an average annual per cent change of 3.6%. Almost two-thirds of injuries were for men, however the rate of injury hospitalisations increased more rapidly in women. The majority of injuries (81.8%) were classified as minor. The proportion of injuries classified as serious increased with age. For moderate and serious injuries, injuries to the head were the most common type of injury, while falls were the leading cause. Self-harm injuries emerged as a leading contributor to the increase in injuries in young people aged 13–24 years old.ConclusionThis study emphasises the concerning upward trend in injury hospitalisations among children and young people over the past two decades. Given Australia is yet to formalise a national injury prevention strategy, understanding the patterns and characteristics of injuries is vital to developing effective prevention interventions to reduce harm and improve child safety.