Epidemiology of hospitalised traumatic brain injury in the state of New South Wales, Australia: a population‐based study

Abstract

Objective: To describe the population-based incidence and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalised traumatic brain injury (TBI) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Methods:One-year statewide hospital admission data from the NSW Department of Health were analysed. TBI cases were identified using a combination of TBI-related diagnostic and external cause codes from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10 th Revision). Sociodemographics, causes, associated factors, severity and medical details of hospitalisation were examined.Results: There were 6,827 hospitalised TBI cases that met review criteria. Incidence rate was 99.1/100,000 population. Incidence in persons older than 75 years of age and residents in remote areas was three times higher. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were 1.7 times more likely to sustain a TBI than the general population, and risk was greater for all NSW residents from areas that were remote and disadvantaged-socioeconomically. Older adults and those with severe injuries showed prolonged hospitalisation, higher morbidity and mortality. Conclusions:Overall TBI incidence in NSW is lower than international estimates. Nevertheless, groups with higher incidence rates and/or poor in-hospital outcomes were identified, highlighting directions for prevention and future research. Implications for public health:There is a need for identifying risk factors/barriers and assessing the impact of recent policies on these population groups.

Decreasing Incidence and Mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury in Korea, 2008–2017: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

“…Likewise, South Korea has implemented mid-to-long-term research, policies, and intervention agendas for the prevention of safety-related incidents among children; the presently reported decrease in the concussion incidence among those aged <10 years may be a result of these efforts [32]. In addition, as a measure against road traffic accidents, which are major causes of TBI [33], the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport established a 5-year Basic National Road Traffic Safety Plan, aimed at improving road safety, and reducing the rate of accidents by gaining an understanding of their causes [34]. During the study period (2008-2017), the number of people injured in vehicular accidents in South Korea showed a downward trend, from 692.5 persons/100,000 population in 2008 to 627.5 persons/100,000 population in 2017 [35].…”

Post-concussion states: How do we improve our patients’ outcomes? An Australian perspective

“…In addition to being out of date, this data does not capture diagnoses coded in secondary diagnosis fields, and therefore does not reflect the true number of hospitalisations for concussion in Australia, or the number of concussions that present and are diagnosed outside of the hospital setting (such as in General Practice). Recent studies have reported the overall incidence of TBI as 99/100,000 persons per year in New South Wales, 5 and 97.8 per 100,000 population in North Queensland, 6 but a study of incidence rates for TBI in New Zealand identified 790 cases per 100,000 person-years. 3 Based on this work by Feigin et al , one can estimate there are approximately 200,000 cases of TBI per year in Australia.…”

Neuromodulation for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

“…An estimated 99 in 100,000 people of all ages experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Australia, with numbers varying between states (Pozzato et al, 2019). Estimates from a study in New Zealand are much higher with 790 in 100,000 experiencing TBI (Feigin et al, 2013).…”