Water-related hospital admissions in England (1997-2004)
Author Information
Author(s): Holly Henderson, Richard C. Wilson
Primary Institution: BioMed Central
Hypothesis
What is the hospital activity resulting from water-related incidents in England?
Conclusion
For every drowning that occurs per year, there are three hospital episodes related to water incidents.
Supporting Evidence
- 6,793 hospital episodes were recorded due to water-related incidents.
- Average length of stay for patients was 5.0 days.
- Males had a 2.3 to 3.0 increased risk of hospitalization compared to females.
- The highest rates of hospital episodes were in the 0-14 age group.
- Hospital episodes increased even as drowning fatalities decreased.
Takeaway
This study found that many people go to the hospital because of water accidents, and for every drowning, three people are hospitalized.
Methodology
Data was extracted from the Hospital Episode Statistics for episodes with specific ICD 10 codes from 1997/8 to 2003/4.
Potential Biases
Potential overestimation of risk due to using resident population data.
Limitations
The study does not capture predisposing factors prior to water incidents.
Participant Demographics
73.7% male and 26.3% female, with a significant number of episodes in the 0-14 age group.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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