Bulletin 16 - Factors associated with the SCI event
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Factors associated with the SCI event
In addition to collecting information on the demographic features of cases of SCI, the ASCIR also
collected information about factors associated with the injury event, including the external cause
of injury, role of human intent, type of place of injury and type of activity at the time of
injury. This included coded variables and also a structured narrative describing the injury event.
The narrative detailed what the victim was doing at the time of the injury event, what went wrong
to precipitate the injury sequence, and what actually inflicted the injury. It provided a rich
source of information that extended the information available from the coded variables.
The external cause of injury (defined according to the National Data Standards for Injury
Surveillance[9] which is based on the International
Classification of Disease[7] external cause codes) for
persisting cases of SCI from traumatic causes is presented by age group in Figure 5. Motor vehicle
occupants accounted for 29% (n=69) of all persisting cases of SCI; high falls 21% (n=50);
unprotected road users 15% (n=37); low falls 8% (n=20); diving 5% (n=13); and other causes 21%
(n=51, including one case of unspecified cause).
Motor vehicle occupants comprised the largest group of cases in the age group
15-34 years. Examination of the structured narrative provided the following
information on the SCI of motor vehicle occupants:
- Twenty-five cases of motor vehicle rollovers were reported. No mention of
collision with another vehicle was reported for these cases, suggesting that
they were single vehicle rollovers due to loss of control. Fourteen of the
rollovers occurred on non-urban roads. Impact of the head on the vehicle roof
during rollover was reported in six cases.
- Alcohol use was reported in 7 cases.
- Non-use of seat belts was reported in seven cases, six of whom were
involved in rollovers.
Note:
excludes 5 cases where age was 10-14 years and 1 case where age was not reported |
Spinal cord injury to unprotected road users occurred most frequently in the
age group 15-24 (n=12). Analysis of the structured narrative indicated that 15
cases of SCIs to unprotected road users resulted from collision with a motor
vehicle, over all age groups.
Low falls (i.e. falls on the same level or from less than one metre in height)
were more frequently a cause of SCI in the elderly (65 years and over).
Examination of the structured narrative for cases aged 65 years and over
revealed the following information:
- The injury occurred in the home for 6 of the 10 cases.
- Dizziness was reported in 2 of the cases.
- Alcohol was involved in 2 of the cases.
High falls (i.e. falls from a
height of one metre or higher) occurred relatively frequently in all age
groups. Examination of the structured narrative revealed the following
information:
- 15 of the 50 high falls were from ladders, roofs, balconies and stairs.
- 15 occurred while at work, particularly in the 25 to 54 year age group
(n=11).
The 13 diving-related SCIs occurred mainly in the surf (6 cases)
and in swimming pools (4 cases). The remaining diving-related SCI cases
occurred in rivers and off piers.
The activity that the person was engaged in when they suffered their spinal
cord injury was coded in ASCIR according to the NISU National Data Standards
for Injury Surveillance.[9]
This information, when extended with
reference to the structured narrative, contributed to a fuller understanding of
the injury event than was possible from the external cause alone. It was
particularly useful for identifying sporting and work related injuries. The
following dot points summarise the features of sports related SCI:
- 19 cases of SCI were attributed to sport.
- 9 cases occurred during rugby scrums or tackles or during football matches.
- Other sporting activities accounted for the remaining 10 cases: judo,
go-carting, hockey, soccer, and racing (car, motor cycle, and pedal
cycle).
For work-related activities, the following was reported:
- 44 cases of work-related SCI were described.
- 14 of these cases occurred while driving to work or returning home from
work while 30 occurred at the work site.
- The external cause of injury at the work site was high fall (14 cases),
struck by object (8 cases), horse related (4 cases), and other causes (4
cases).
[7] World Health Organization. International classification of diseases.
(1975 revised). Geneva: WHO, 1977.
[9] National Injury Surveillance Unit. National Data Standards for Injury
Surveillance, Version 2.0 (December 1995). Adelaide: Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare, National Injury Surveillance Unit, 1995.
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