Glasgow & Clyde Valley

Emergency hospital admission rates for unintentional injuries, ages 0-14, Clyde Valley councils

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Glasgow has consistently had one of the highest levels of emergency admission rates for unintentional injuries among 0-14 year olds in the Clyde Valley region, despite a reducing trend; this is because there have been reductions in most of the other authorities as well. In the past three years, the rates in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and East Renfrewshire, have increased.

Notes

Scottish Morbidity Records for acute inpatient stays (SMR01) have been used here to calculate the rate of emergency admission of children of 14 years or less to hospital following an unintentional injury in the home (identified as Admission type code 33 = ‘Patient Injury – Home Incident’). The data were based on discharges from completed hospital stays and have been aggregated into rolling groups of three fiscal years to produce annual averages.  Both Glasgow specific analyses and the analysis by local authority were undertaken locally.

Figures for Scotland, selected Scottish Cities, and Clyde Valley Councils are provided by Information Services Division (ISD), NHS Scotland. These are a subset of data from the annual ISD report Unintentional Injuries, Year Ending 31^st March 2015 (published 08/03/2016). The report can be found on the ISD website as follows: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Emergency-Care/Publications/2016-03-08/2016-03-08-UI-Report.pdf

Further explanation:
When someone is discharged from hospital, the reason for their stay is recorded, and this is coded. If the reason for their admission was the result of an unintentional injury which happened at home, such as a broken leg from falling downstairs or a scald from a hot drink, then this would be included in the figures presented here. Intentional injuries such as assault and child abuse are not included.

When comparing these admission rates, it must be remembered that different hospitals may have different policies for admission, and policies may change over time, so the differences might not all be explained by how many children are injured, but also what thresholds the local hospital departments have for admission. For instance, one hospital might admit every child for observation if they have had a significant bump to their head even if they appear to be well, and another might instead give advice to the parent/carer about things to look out for, and ask them to bring the child back if any of those features develop. 

Hospital admissions for injury represent a high level on the “injury pyramid”, with a larger number of injuries treated in A&E departments, minor injuries units or in primary care, and an even larger number never reaching medical attention.