Electric personal MObility DEvices Surveillance (E-MODES) Patient Survey Study

Chief Investigators: Prof Kirsten Vallmuur, Dr Gary Mitchell, Mr Brett Droder, Dr Rob Eley, Dr Martin Wullschleger, Dr Luke Lawton, Dr Vinay Gangathimmaiah, Dr Graeme Maw

E-mobility, which refers to travel using electric personal mobility devices (PMDs, such as e-scooters, e-skateboards, etc), is a rapidly evolving and complex transport and safety issue globally. E-mobility through public and privately owned PMDs is increasing across Queensland, with an associated rise in injuries requiring treatment from health services.

Understanding the true extent of the safety issue and its related costs to health departments is only possible through accurate case identification and thorough information recording. Ensuring the health and safety of PMD users and those around them will require ongoing identification, monitoring and response to injury patterns.

The Jamieson Trauma Institute established a preliminary e-mobility related injury data collection when public shared e-scooter schemes first began in Brisbane in 2018. This involved identifying PMD related emergency department (ED) presentations and coding and analysing related medical record data. To date, this remains the most comprehensive source of information regarding e-mobility injuries in Queensland.
Recent funding from the RACQ and RBWH Foundation allows this research to expand with additional data collection methods and hospital sites, including Brisbane, Gold Coast and Townsville, to capture more detail regarding contributing factors to injury incidents, patient outcomes, and patient safety attitudes and behaviours. 

This study is funded in equal parts by the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Foundation.