Journal of Public Health 26(1) © Faculty of Public Health 2004; all rights reserved.
Unintentional injury in Ireland: a comparison of mortality and morbidity data
Elaine Scallan, Research Fellow
Anthony Staines, Senior Lecturer
Patricia Fitzpatrick, Senior Lecturer
Department of Public Health Medicine and Epidemiology, University College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 1, Ireland
Marie Laffoy, Director of Public Health
Department of Public Health Medicine and Epidemiology, University College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 1, Ireland
Alan Kelly, Lecturer in Biostatistics & Director of Small Area Health Research Unit
Department of Community Health and General Practice, Trinity College Centre for Health Sciences, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, incorporating the National Children’s Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
Address correspondence to Elaine Scallan, FoodNet, Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 West Square Court, Decatur, Atlanta, GA, USA. E-mail: escallan{at}cdc.gov
Background The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between mortality and hospital admission data for the leading causes of unintentional injury in Ireland.
Methods Mortality data were obtained from the Central Statistics Office for the years 1980–1996. Information on hospital admissions was obtained from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry system for the years 1993–1997.
Results Motor vehicle traffic accidents were the leading cause of unintentional injury death. Falls were the most common cause of unintentional injury hospital admission. Drowning and suffocation had high ratios of deaths to admissions, 2:1 and 1:3, respectively. The ratio of deaths to admissions was 1:39 for all unintentional injuries.
Conclusion Neither mortality data nor admissions data alone give an adequate guide to the impact of injuries, but together the two provide a reasonable basis on which to establish policy.
Keywords: mortality, morbidity, unintentional, hospital admissions