Summary
During the twelve-month period 2005–06, community injury was responsible for 371,297 cases of hospitalisation (216,158 males and 155,133 females). Injury consumed a total of 1,498,862 bed days equating to a mean length of stay of 4.0 days per hospitalised case.
For very young children aged 0–4 years, the most common specific causes of injury were falls (39%) and poisoning by drugs (7%). Falls were also the most common injury for older children aged 5–14 years (43%), followed by transport accidents (19%). The most common causes of injury for young adults aged 15–24 years were transport accidents (21%), falls (12%), assault (11%) and intentional self-harm (10%). A similar pattern was seen in adults aged 25–44 where transport accidents accounted for 17% of hospitalisations, falls for 14%, and assault and intentional self-harm for 11% each. With the arrival of older adulthood (45–64 years), unintentional falls become prominent, accounting for 31% of hospitalisations, followed by transport accidents (14%) and intentional self-harm (8%). For those aged 65 years and over, around three-quarters of hospitalisations are the result of falls. From 85 years onwards the proportion of falls as a cause of hospitalisation reached 87%.
The age-standardised rate of community injury has risen over time from 1,724 cases per 100,000 population in 1999–00 to 1,790 cases per 100,000 in 2005–06. The upward trend was observed for both males and females.
Upward trends were not seen for all major types of community injury. Between 1999–00 and 2005–06, upward trends were observed for falls (from 602 to 624 per 100,000 population); for transport accidents (249 to 255); for poisoning by other substances (15 to 12); intentional self-harm (105 to 116); and assault (98 to 109). There was a large downward trend for poisoning by drugs (from 100 to 63 per 100,000 population) and slight downward trends for fire, burns and scalds (from 27.6 to 26.9) and drowning (from 2.6 to 2.5). The downward trend in poisoning by drugs was mainly due to a reduction in rates in the 0–4 year age group (from 340 to 198 per 100,000) and the 15–49 year age group (from 116 to 63 per 100,000). However, despite falling rates in all other age groups in this category of injury, age standardised rates increased for those aged 70 years and over from 80 to 98 per 100,000 population.
Eighteen per cent of community injury cases resulted in injuries to the head. The next most commonly injured body regions were the knee and lower leg (12%) and the elbow and forearm (11%).
The Northern Territory's age-standardised community injury rate of 2,852 per 100,000 population was substantially higher than rates for all other jurisdictions. The next highest rate of 1,902 per 100,000, found in Queensland, was higher than the all-Australia rate of 1,790 per 100,000. Age adjusted rates were higher in the Northern Territory for all major causes of injury with the exception of poisoning by drugs and intentional self-harm. The difference between rates for the Northern Territory and Australia as a whole was most striking in relation to hospitalisations due to assault where age standardised rates were 691 and 109 per 100,000 respectively.