Injury-related hospitalisations for those 15-24 years of age: Queensland from 2016 to 2019
Queensland Trauma Insights – November 2020
Last updated on 23 November 2020
Background
Injury has a large impact on young people, being the leading cause of death and hospitalization among people aged 12-24 years.1 Patterns of injury in young people are different to other age groups, with different injury influences and causes, as they gain greater independence in activities and decision making. The following snapshot shows epidemiological data for the most recent 3.5 years of hospitalization data in Queensland.
Key findings
Between 01 July 2016 and 31 December 2019:
- 52,636 injury-related hospitalisation episodes in Qld public acute hospitals for those 15-24 years of age.
- Highest incidence in males (61.7%).
- 93 people died in hospital (0.18%). The majority of deaths were males (74.2%), aged 20-24 years (60.2%).
- Transport related injuries accounted for 22.5% of all episodes and of those, 26.9% were drivers.
- Whilst the majority of injuries were unintentional (73.1%), females were significantly more likely to be admitted for self-harm related injuries than males, mostly by poisoning.
- Fridays and weekends were peak days of admission; however, this did vary depending on whether the injury was unintentional, self-harm or assault related.
- Where activity was specified, sports and leisure accounted almost half of the episodes (47.5%), other transport* (30.3%) and working for income (14.1%).
- Rugby League related injuries accounted for 36.1% of all sports related injury episodes, followed by dirt bike racing/motocross (16.5%) and soccer (11.5%).
- Almost half of all injuries were Fractures (47.6%), most commonly of the shoulders, arms and hands.
Key figures
Episodes by Gender and Overall
| Activity/Outcome | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episodes of care | 32,456 | 20,179 | 52,636 |
| Patient days | 56,020 | 30,554 | 86,577 |
| Av Length of stay | 1.73 | 1.51 | 1.64 |
| Discharged home | 84.7% | 85.2% | 84.9% |
| Died in hospital | 0.21% | 0.12% | 0.18% |
Top 5 Injury Mechanisms by Gender
Transport Related Injury Episodes by Age Group*
*Transport not including sports related
Intent of Injury Episode
Day of Episode and Intent
Activity at the Time of Injury
Type of Activity, Sports or Leisure
Top 5 Injury Types with Body Region, Sports or Leisure
| Fractures | 47.6% |
| Shoulder, arms, hand (47.9%) Hip, leg, foot (29.5%) Head (14.8%) | |
| Dislocation, sprains and strains | 19.9% |
| Hip, leg, foot (60.9%) Shoulder, arms, hand (25.4%) Neck (7.7%) | |
| Internal organs | 16.5% |
| Head (83.7%) Lower back, pelvis (10.9%) Thorax (5.4%) | |
| Open wounds | 6.7% |
| Head (33.2%) Hip, leg, foot (37.0%) Shoulder, arms, hand (24.9%) | |
| Superficial injuries | 4.9% |
| Head (26.2%) Lower back, pelvis (23.2%) Hip, leg, foot (20.8%) | |
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 was established with funding from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and Metro North Hospital and Health Service. 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.
Data Source
Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (QHAPDC) – derived subset of data tables comprising injury related hospital admissions from all Queensland public acute hospitals (excluding Mater South Brisbane Hospitals).
Data Scope
- Admitted patient episodes with separation date between 01 July 2016 & 31 December 2019
- Principal diagnosis within the ICD-10-AM code range: S00-T75 and T79
- Age 15-24 years
- Care Type = Acute
- This overview presents raw counts and percentages, not age standardised rates, as data relate to episodes of care and not individual patients
- Data extracted on 24 April 2020. Thus, includes preliminary data (1 July 2019 to 31 Dec 2019) which is subject to change.