@article{ref1,
title="Fall-related attendance and associated hospitalisation of children and adolescents in Hong Kong: a 12-year retrospective study",
journal="BMJ open",
year="2017",
author="Lee, James Chun-Yin and Tung, Keith Tsz-Suen and Li, Tim M. H. and Ho, Frederick Ka-Wing and Ip, Patrick and Wong, Wilfred Hing-Sang and Chow, Chun-Bong",
volume="7",
number="2",
pages="e013724-e013724",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to examine the trends and characteristics of fall-related attendance in accident and emergency department (AED) by injury type and the trend in associated average length of stay (LOS) among children and adolescents in Hong Kong. <br><br>DESIGN: A retrospective approach was adopted. SETTING: AED, involving all local public emergency departments from 2001 to 2012. PARTICIPANTS: 63 557 subjects aged 0-19 years with fall injury record were included in the analysis. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Fall-related injury number and rates were calculated and reported. Poisson and negative binomial regression models were used to study the trends of injury incidence rate at different body regions. <br><br>RESULTS: AED fall-related attendance rate increased significantly with an annual percentage change of 4.45 (95% CI 3.43 to 5.47%, p<0.0001). The attendance number of male subjects was persistently higher than female subjects. The standardised rate of fracture injury increased by 1.31% (95% CI 0.56 to 2.05%, p<0.0001) and that of non-fracture injury increased by 9.23% (95% CI 7.07 to 11.43%, p<0.0001) annually. Upper limb was the most frequently fractured location. It included forearm/elbow, shoulder/upper arm and wrist/hand with descending order of frequency. On the contrary, head was the most frequent non-fracture location, followed by forearm/elbow. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The rates of fall-related attendance have been increasing and still remain high. There were significant increases in non-fracture injuries. Fractures were most frequently found in the upper extremity of a child while the most common non-fracture location was head. It appears that more efforts should be made and preventive measures should be implemented for children and adolescents in Hong Kong.<br><br>Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2044-6055",
doi="10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013724",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013724"
}