The hospital treatment costs for injury cases (excluding medical injury) in Victoria in 2012/13 totalled $806.3 million, an average of $2,050 per hospital-treated injury, according to a new report by the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit (VISU).
The VISU report found there are two levels of injury reflecting severity: 91,399 hospital admissions and 301,940 ED presentations (non-admissions). Although hospitalised injuries (hospital admissions) accounted for less than a quarter of all hospital-treated episodes, they accounted for the greatest proportion of hospital treatment costs (87 per cent or $701.1 million).
The report identified the home and the roads as areas to prioritise for prevention, with both those settings combined accounting for 43 per cent of the cost of injury-related hospital admissions.
Falls in residential institutions, work-related injury, particularly in construction, and Australian Rules football were also highlighted as possible areas for prevention work.
Click here to download the full report, or visit VISU’s website.