Report on Injuries in Nova Scotia Released

Motor vehicle crashes and falls are responsible for most of the unintentional injuries in Nova Scotia, according to a report released today, May 16, by Dalhousie University and the Department of Health.

During the 10 years the study covered, the leading causes of death related to intentional and unintentional injury for those aged 16 years and older were suicide, motor vehicle collisions and falls.

According to the study, in Nova Scotia an average of 412 people aged 16 years and older died each year as a result of injury. On average, 21 adults were admitted to hospital in Nova Scotia each day as a result of an injury. The study does not account for the thousands of other injuries each year that do not require hospitalization and that are treated in emergency departments and doctors' offices instead.

"This is truly a silent epidemic," said Stacy Ackroyd, research consultant with Dalhousie's Department of Emergency Medicine and the lead author of the report. "On the positive side, it's an epidemic that can be reversed. Most injuries are predictable and preventable, and we can have a significant impact on the numbers with the right strategies."

The purpose of the report is to describe the scope of the injury problem in the province for people who are 16 years of age and older.

"We need to know who is getting injured, how they're getting injured, where they're getting injured and the nature of the injury if we want to develop effective strategies for dealing with the problem," said Ms. Ackroyd.

"Injury is the leading cause of death during the first four decades of life and the fourth leading cause of death for all ages in Canada," said Dr. John Tallon, the report's co-author and medical director for the Emergency Health Services Trauma Program. "While Nova Scotia has become a leader in its ability to respond to acute injury, the challenge now is how to prevent the injuries in the first place. The personal costs are obviously significant and the burden on the health care system is enormous, and much of this is preventable."

A complete copy of the report, titled A Comprehensive Report on Injuries in Nova Scotia, can be found on the Department of Health Web site, at www.gov.ns.ca/health , as well as on the Dalhousie University Emergency Medicine Web site, at www.medicine.dal.ca/emergency .