All injuries

Introduction

This section focuses on injuries that resulted in hospitalisation or death. Injuries treated in other settings, or that went untreated, are excluded. Results presented here therefore underestimate the population-level impacts of injury.

For information about the health burden and expenditure due to injuries, please see the injury introductory page.

Hospitalisations

In 2022–23, the Queensland age-standardised hospitalisation rate (ASR or standardised rate) for all injuries was 27.7 per 1,000 persons (Figure 1).

Demographic differences

In 2022–23, Queensland hospitalisation rates for all injuries varied by demographic characteristics (Figure 1):

• The standardised hospitalisation rate for males was 29.7% higher than for females (31.2 and 24.1 per 1,000, respectively).
• The age-specific rate for adults 65 years and older was 2.7 times higher than for adults 45 to 64 years (64.5 and 23.6 per 1,000 persons, respectively).
• Females 65 years and older were the only age group to have a higher age-specific injury rate than their male peers—21.3% higher than males 65 years and older (70.4 and 58.0 per 1,000, respectively).

Remoteness and socioeconomic differences

In 2022–23, standardised hospitalisation rates for all injuries in Queensland also varied by remoteness and socioeconomic status (Figure 1):

• In remote and very remote areas the hospitalisation rate was 74.5% higher than in major cities (45.7 and 26.2 per 1,000 persons, respectively).
• In the most disadvantaged areas, the hospitalisation rate for all injuries was 49.7% higher than in the most advantaged areas (34.8 and 23.3 per 1,000, respectively).

Figure 1: Queensland injury hospitalisations for all injuries, 2022–23

Trends

High level trends, reported as the average annual percentage change (APC) in figures and translated to changes over the specified time period in text, are presented (Figure 2). It is acknowledged that these results may differ from more detailed trend analyses that include factors explaining variability or use methods showing more changes in rates over time. In this report, the intent is to demonstrate differences in trends across health conditions using a consistent approach. To control for the ageing of the population, age standardised rates were used. For further details, please refer to About this Report.

Changes in clinical coding systems and admission practices, especially after the implementation of the Ninth Edition of the The International Statistical Classification for Diseases and Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), from July 2015, as well as potential multiple patient episodes for a single injury due to hospital transfers and rehabilitation, effect comparability over time.¹

Limiting analysis from 2015–16 to 2022–23, Queensland standardised hospitalisation rates for all injuries were stable (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Trends in Queensland injury hospitalisations for all injuries

National results

Over a ten year period, based on the national injury definition, Australian hospitalisation rates for injury were stable overall but decreased slowly for most younger age groups and increased for adults 45 years and older.²

Mortality

In 2022, the Queensland standardised mortality rate for all injuries was 48.5 per 100,000 persons for all ages (Figure 3).

Demographic differences

The pattern of demographic differences by sex and age in injury mortality was similar to the pattern observed for injury hospitalisations, other than the difference between males and females in the oldest age group.

In 2022, Queensland standardised mortality rates for all injuries were (Figure 3):

• 2.0 times higher in males than in females (65.9 and 32.2 per 100,000, respectively)
• 28.2% higher in males 65 years and older compared to their female peers (212.7 and 165.9 per 100,000, respectively).

Remoteness and socioeconomic differences

Mortality rates also varied by remoteness and socioeconomic status. In 2022, standardised mortality rates for all injuries in Queensland were (Figure 3):

• 63.3% higher in remote and very remote areas than in major cities (73.3 and 44.9 per 100,000 persons, respectively)
• 55.6% higher in the most disadvantaged areas than in the most advantaged areas (64.0 and 41.1 per 100,000 persons, respectively).

Figure 3: Queensland injury mortality for all injuries, 2022

Trends

Trends in the all injury mortality rate for the entire Queensland population were largely stable from 2002 to 2022 (Figure 4), similar to the trend observed nationally.² Male mortality rates were consistently twice as high as female rates throughout this period.

Figure 4: Trends in Queensland mortality for all injuries

Additional information

Data and statistics

Visit the following websites for more information:

• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Injury in Australia.

Strategies and information

Visit the Department of Health and Aged Care for information about the National Strategy for Injury Prevention.

Section technical notes

ASpR refers to age-specific rates.

APC refers to annual percentage change.

Where presented, ratios were calculated using higher precision estimates than in text. Ratios calculated using estimates in text may differ.

Age-standardised rates were calculated by standardising to 2001 Australian standard population.

ICD code groups have changed since the initial CHO report release to better align with other national reports and datasets noting that some differences remain including a subset that AIHW reapportions to jurisdiction of residence. Definitional changes have been applied to all years of data in the time series. See additional information under About this Report.

Hospitalisation data reported in this section were sourced from the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (QHAPDC). The QHAPDC is episode based, meaning that multiple episodes from a single person will be counted in a reporting period. Separations from interstate residents, public psychiatric hospitals, and those flagged as unqualified newborns, organ donors or boarders are excluded. Due to the definitions used, the statistics presented here may not be comparable to other reports. See additional information under About this Report.

Mortality data presented in this section were sourced from the Australian Coordinating Registry held by the Statistical Services Branch, Queensland Health. Data are presented by year of death, rather than year of registration and are subject to change. Data excludes death of Queensland residents registered outside of Queensland. Data for remoteness and SEIFA excludes records that could not be clearly mapped to an Australian Statistical Geography Standard version.