Home injuries in Swedish municipality- consequences and costs

摘要

To investigate home injuries and the related cost of illness in a defined community as a basis for a home injury prevention programme, all unintentional injuries treated at in- and outpatient facilities in Motala municipality (population 41000),Sweden, were recorded during a period of 1 year. More detail was obtained about home injuries with the help of standardized and structured surveys via telephone interviews, hospital records and death certificates. In all, 1723 or 35% of all injuriesoccurred within home environments. The predominant age groups among both males and females were age groups 0-6 years and 70 years and over. Falls, falling objects and cutting or piercing objects accounted for three-quarters of the injury cases. Fallsdominated markedly among the elderly. Injuries to the upper and lower extremities and head injuries were the most common injury types. The cost of medical care dominated among females (64%), while company costs dominated among males (77%). Injuries to the extremities accounted for 74% of the costs. More attention should be given to home injuries and their prevention. There is a need to register local home injuries as a base-line for intervention and for evaluating its effects.