Falls-related injury hospitalisations in Queensland public acute hospitals: 01 Jan 2018 to 31 Dec 2022
Queensland Trauma Insights – June 2023
Background
Falls are Australia’s number one cause of injury hospitalisation (42%) and injury deaths (40%), with falls requiring hospitalisation more common in older people (AIHW, 2022).
Between 01 January 2018 and 31 December 2022, 248,653 falls-related injury hospitalisations occurred in Queensland public acute hospitals. 131,347 (53%) of these hospitalisations occurred among older and senior adults aged 65 years and over. The data insights in this snapshot are divided into two sections for reporting purposes:
- Falls-related injury hospitalisations among infants, children, young adults, and the general working age population (people aged 0-64 years old)
- Falls-related injury hospitalisations among the elderly and senior adults aged 65 years old and over (65+)
Falls-related injury hospitalisations: people aged 0-64 years old
Key findings: 0-64 years old
Between 01 January 2018 and 31 December 2022:
- 117,306 falls-related injury hospitalisations in those aged 0-64 years occurred in Qld public acute hospitals.
- Falls on the same level from tripping, slipping, and stumbling were the leading cause of falls-related injuries accounting for 30.2% of hospitalisations (n=35,469).
- Falls involving furniture were the leading cause of falls-related injuries among children aged 0-4 years old.
- Falls involving swings, slides, other playground equipment or playground climbing apparatus were the leading cause of falls-related injuries among children aged 5–14 years old.
- Females aged 45-64 years had the highest incidence of falls-related hospitalisations (N=22,188, 19%).
- Fractures were the main injury sustained accounting for over half of all hospitalisations (N=59,897, 51%).
- The hip, leg and foot followed by head injuries were the most common body regions injured.
- Homes, sports areas and schools were the most common places where injury occurred.
Key figures: 0-64 years old
Trends over time
| Activity/Outcome | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episodes of care | 23,040 | 23,212 | 23,733 | 24,899 | 22,422 | 117,306 |
| Patient days | 43,478 | 42,994 | 43,800 | 46,071 | 45,547 | 221,890 |
| Av Length of stay | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| Died in hospital | 24 | 28 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 125 |
Age and sex breakdown
Body regions of injury
Top 15 causes of falls by age group: 0 – 64 years old
| Episodes | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cause/Mechanism of fall1 | 00-04 | 05-14 | 15-24 | 25-44 | 45-64 | 0-64 |
| Fall on same level from tripping, slipping, and stumbling2 | 2,564 | 4,956 | 2,869 | 7,432 | 17,648 | 35,469 |
| Fall on and from other and unspecified stairs and steps | 930 | 457 | 887 | 2,440 | 4,845 | 9,559 |
| Fall involving furniture (including bed, bunk bed, table, stool, and chair) | 3,929 | 973 | 183 | 561 | 1,539 | 7,185 |
| Fall involving swing, slide, other specified/unspecified playground equipment or playground climbing apparatus | 1,125 | 3,698 | 99 | 81 | 38 | 5,041 |
| Fall involving ice-skates, roller-skates or skateboards | 33 | 1,163 | 1,136 | 1,218 | 340 | 3,890 |
| Fall on and from ladder | 65 | 52 | 152 | 824 | 2,438 | 3,521 |
| Fall involving trampoline | 848 | 1,600 | 111 | 100 | 27 | 2,686 |
| Fall involving other and unspecified pedestrian conveyance | 203 | 258 | 384 | 975 | 672 | 2,492 |
| Fall involving scooter, nonpowered | 189 | 1,647 | 212 | 182 | 90 | 2,320 |
| Fall from, out of or through other specified building or structure | 156 | 434 | 301 | 486 | 446 | 1,823 |
| Fall from tree | 81 | 686 | 120 | 206 | 155 | 1,248 |
| Other specified fall on same level | 421 | 1,227 | 767 | 1,721 | 2,979 | 7,115 |
| Other specified fall from one level to another | 1,404 | 1,458 | 688 | 1,402 | 1,876 | 6,828 |
| Other fall on same level due to collision with, or pushing by, another person | 99 | 2,441 | 2,642 | 1,371 | 263 | 6,816 |
| Unspecified fall | 645 | 1,090 | 763 | 1,997 | 4,608 | 9,103 |
1Table sorted in order of ascending row totals
2Includes unspecified fall on same level
Top 10 places of injury occurrence: 0 – 64 years old
| Place category | Episodes | Patient days |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 39,239 | 85,825 |
| Sports area | 10,205 | 13,880 |
| School | 7,085 | 10,118 |
| Street and highway | 4,958 | 10,672 |
| Trade and service area | 3,902 | 8,608 |
| Residential institution | 1,172 | 3,009 |
| Industrial and Construction area | 1,044 | 2,568 |
| Farm | 394 | 949 |
| Other Specific Place | 7,968 | 14,943 |
| Unspecified Place | 40,230 | 69,175 |
Top 10 natures of injury: 0 – 64 years old
| Injury sustained | Number of episodes |
|---|---|
| Fracture | 59,897 |
| Internal organ injuries | 10,771 |
| Open wound | 10,469 |
| Superficial and contusions | 6,695 |
| Dislocation | 3,744 |
| Blood vessel | 179 |
| Other effects of external causes | 81 |
| Amputation | 33 |
| Other specified | 9,423 |
| Unspecified | 15,962 |
Falls-related injury hospitalisations among the elderly and senior adults aged 65 years old and over (65+)
Key findings: 65+ years old
Between 01 January 2018 and 31 December 2022:
- 131,347 falls-related injury hospitalisations occurred in those aged 65 years and older in Qld public acute hospitals.
- Falls on the same level from tripping, slipping, and stumbling were the leading cause of falls-related injuries accounting for half of all hospitalisations (N=67,673, 52%).
- Falls on and from stairs, steps and ladders accounted for 7% of hospitalisations (n=9,560).
- Females aged 85 years and over had the highest incidence of falls-related hospitalisations (N=30,897, 24%).
- Fractures were the main injury sustained accounting for almost half of all hospitalisations (N=57,283, 44%).
- The hip, leg, and foot followed by head injuries were the most common body regions injured.
- Homes and residential institutions were the most common places where injury occurred.
Key figures: 65+ years
Trends over time
| Activity/Outcome | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episodes of care | 23,771 | 24,809 | 25,692 | 28,504 | 28,490 | 131,347 |
| Patient days | 81,202 | 83,225 | 80,832 | 93,296 | 99,248 | 437,803 |
| Av Length of stay | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Died in hospital | 231 | 240 | 204 | 238 | 280 | 1,193 |
Age and sex breakdown
Body regions of injury
Top 10 causes of falls by older age group: 65+ years
| Episodes | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cause/Mechanism of injury3 | 65-75 | 75-84 | 85+ | 65+ |
| Fall on same level from tripping, slipping, and stumbling4 | 17,903 | 25,283 | 24,487 | 67,673 |
| Fall on and from other and unspecified stairs and steps | 2,958 | 2,704 | 1,360 | 7,022 |
| Fall involving unspecified bed | 1,023 | 1,977 | 2,565 | 5,565 |
| Fall involving unspecified chair | 377 | 625 | 742 | 1,744 |
| Fall on and from ladder | 1,568 | 813 | 157 | 2,538 |
| Fall involving wheelchair | 362 | 445 | 435 | 1,242 |
| Fall from or off toilet | 247 | 384 | 454 | 1,085 |
| Other specified fall on same level | 3,114 | 4,756 | 4,668 | 12,538 |
| Other specified fall from one level to another | 821 | 621 | 361 | 1,803 |
| Unspecified fall | 4,614 | 8,146 | 11,113 | 23,873 |
3Table sorted in order of ascending row totals
4Includes unspecified fall on same level
Top 10 places of injury occurrence: 65+ years
| Place category | Episodes |
|---|---|
| Home | 65,986 |
| Residential institution | 32,918 |
| Street and highway | 4,315 |
| Trade and service area | 4,228 |
| School | 1,833 |
| Sports area | 561 |
| Farm | 212 |
| Industrial and Construction area | 92 |
| Other Specific Place | 3,181 |
| Unspecified Place | 17,221 |
Top 10 natures of injury: 65+ years
| Injury sustained | Number of episodes |
|---|---|
| Fracture | 57,283 |
| Open wound | 17,714 |
| Superficial and contusions | 14,866 |
| Internal organ injuries | 10,361 |
| Dislocation | 1,849 |
| Blood vessel | 158 |
| Other effects of external causes | 61 |
| Amputation | 19 |
| Other specified | 9,456 |
| Unspecified | 19,544 |
About us
The Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI) connects clinicians, researchers, government and industry partners striving to advance trauma prevention, research and clinical management, to deliver the best possible care for people who experience traumatic injury. JTI is funded via a partnership between the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Metro North Health and Queensland University of Technology.
For further information, contact: Jamieson_trauma_institute@health.qld.gov.au
Data scope and definitions
This overview was produced by the Jamieson Trauma Institute, in consultation with the Statistical Services Branch, Queensland Health using Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (QHAPDC) (derived subset of data tables comprising injury related hospital admissions from all public acute hospitals excluding Mater South Brisbane Hospitals).
Data Scope
- Includes episodes of admitted patient care with separation date between 01 January 2018 & 31 December 2022.
- Falls related hospitalisation is defined by ICD-10-AM principal diagnosis code between W00-W19 with external cause codes of X80, Y01 and Y30.
- Care Type = Acute.
- Data from 1 July to 31 December 2022 are preliminary and subject to change.
This overview presents raw counts and percentages, not age standardised rates, as data relate to episodes of care and not individual patients
References