Falls are a significant public health issue affecting Western Australian families and the economy, with falls ranking as the leading cause of injury hospitalisations and emergency department attendances in 2018. Bringing attention to the incidence of falls-related fatalities, hospitalisations and emergency department attendances in Western Australia and the need to implement effective falls prevention initiatives,more…
Twenty-eight more Western Australians died due to injury in 2018, compared to 2017. The injury areas that experienced the highest increase in deaths in 2018 included “other accidental threats to breathing” (1,300% increase, n=28 vs n=2), “exposure to inanimate mechanical forces” (133% increase, n=7 vs n=2) and “assault” (109% increase, n=46 vs n=22).
Through the Stay On Your Feet® program, Injury Matters has developed the inaugural Western Australian Falls Report. This report provides one document that captures the incidence of falls-related fatalities, hospitalisations, emergency department attendances and ambulance transportations due to falls in WA. The findings indicate that a Western Australian dies from a fall every 26 hours,more…
The ‘Older Adult Injury’ panel session at the Injury Prevention Summit provided an opportunity for health professionals working with older adults to exchange practical information and ideas. A recurring theme was the importance of a holistic, person-centred approach to the health of older adults. Statistically, falls make up the largest proportion of older adult injuries,more…
As the designated provider of major trauma services for adults in Western Australia, Royal Perth Hospital treat approximately 80 per cent of Western Australia’s major trauma cases. To assist in patient care, resource planning, evaluation and research, the Royal Perth Hospital Trauma Registry (RPH-TR) collates and reports on injury data. The RPH-TR recently released themore…