MA Injury Overview

Data Overview


Injury
Fatalities
 

2008

NON-FATAL INJURIES**

Hospital
Discharges


FY2008

Outpatient
Observation
Stays

FY2008

Emergency
Department
Visits

FY2008

Total Injury Counts2,820

59,446

10,028

709,237

Number of Injuries for every 100,000 Massachusetts residents*43

915

154

10,915

Leading Causes of Injury
  1. Poisonings
  2. Falls
  3. Suffocation/Hangings
  1. Falls
  2. Poisoning
  3. Motor Vehicles
  1. Falls
  2. Poisoning
  3. Motor Vehicles
  1. Falls
  2. Struck by/or against object
  3. Cut/Pierce (e.g., by knife)

Injury Facts

  • Every day 8 MA residents die as a result of an injury.
  • Every houran average of 90 MA residents are treated for nonfatal injuries at an acute care hospital (includes hospital admissions, observation stays, and ED visits).
  • Injuries are the third leading cause of death among all ages to MA residents, and the leading cause of death among MA residents between the ages of 1 to 44.
  • Injuries kill more children, youth, and young adults (ages 1 - 24 years) than all other causes of death combined.
  • In 2008, poisonings, including drug overdoses, were the leading cause of injury death (N=867); 68.5% of these were associated with opioids which includes heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, etc.
  • Falls were the second leading cause of injury death in 2008 (N=496), followed by hanging/suffocation injuries (N=346).
  • Suicides outnumber homicides in the state by 3 to 1 (499 and 166 respectively, in 2008).
  • The leading cause of suicides among Massachusetts residents is hanging/suffocation (45%). This differs from the leading cause nationally which is firearms.
  • Falls were the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations (N=27,329), observation stays (N=3,255), and emergency department visits (N=186,148) among Massachusetts residents in FY2008.
  • Total hospital and emergency department charges for injury-related cases in FY2008 exceeded $2.6 billion.
  • Injuries are predictable and preventable. Evidence-based strategies exist to reduce the burden of injuries.

Data Sources:

Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, MA Department of Public Health

MA Outpatient Observation Stay Database, MA Division of Health Care Finance and Policy

MA Inpatient Hospital Discharge Database, MA Division of Health Care Finance and Policy

MA Emergency Department Discharge Database, MA Division of Health Care Finance and Policy

*These rates are not age-adjusted and may vary slightly from other Department of Public Health publications. Rates are based on Census Bureau 2008 Population Estimates (N=6,593,587).

**These databases are based on a fiscal year (October 1, 2007 - September 31, 2008).

Prepared by the Injury Surveillance Program, Bureau of Health Information, Statistics, Research, and Evaluation, MDPH.





This information is provided by the Injury Surveillance within the Department of Public Health.