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Objective: To determine the presentation rates for paediatric poisoning by ingestion and the determinants of hospital admission.Methodology: Cross-sectional survey using an injury surveillance database from emergency departments in South Brisbane, Mackay and Mt Isa, Queensland, from January 1998 to December 1999. There were 1516 children aged 0-14 years who presented following ingestional poisoning.Results: The presentation rates for poisoning were 690, 40 and 67 per 100000 population aged 0-4, 5-9 and 10-14 years, respectively. The admission rates to hospital for poisoning were 144, 14 and 22 per 100000 population aged 0-4, 5-9 and 10-14 years, respectively. Although presentation rates for poisoning were higher in the rural centres the admission rates were disproportionately high for the 0-4 years age group. The agents most frequently ingested were paracetamol, Dimetapp, rodenticides and essential oils.Conclusion: There is a need to design and implement interventions aimed at reducing poison exposures and unnecessary hospital admissions in the 0-4 years age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to assess and validate the EDIS (Emergency Department Information System) as a means of acquiring Level 2 injury surveillance data as defined by the National Data Standards for Injury Surveillance in public hospital emergency departments in Queensland. Methods: This validation was based on interviews with patients presenting to selected emergency departments in Queensland for treatment of an injury which was then compared to data obtained from emergency department staff completing the routine medical record for these patients using EDIS. To assess the level of coding variability and set baseline levels of agreement the data were separately coded by three experienced coders and the level of agreement evaluated. At the time of the validation emergency department staff were also asked to complete a questionnaire relating to their attitudes towards EDIS and to injury surveillance. Results: A total of 572 cases of injury were collected during the period of the validation of which 509 (89.0%) corresponded to an injury recorded in EDIS. Demographic details collected in the emergency department data were coded correctly in almost all cases. The exception was Indigenous status where the emergency department systems recorded only 38% of the Indigenous cases correctly. Injury data fields were better than 85% complete for two sites but only 65% complete for the third. Coding agreement between Emergency Department Information System and the validation study for items relating to the injury event varied from 95% for Intent to 50% for Activity when injured. The interrater agreement analysis revealed that the highest agreement between the coders was for intent (94–96%) while the lowest was for main injury factor (63–78%). The results of the emergency department staff satisfaction survey showed a high acceptance of EDIS and injury surveillance in general. Conclusions: This analysis demonstrates that injury... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives-The objectives of the study were to ascertain the causes of accidents, injuries, and deaths in children who ride bicycles. Fatality and injury rates were also studied in order to compare with other studies. Methods-Two studies of children were undertaken in children aged less than 15 years. In the first (retrospective fatality study), children who died as a result of a bicycle incident during the period 1981-92 were reviewed. In the second (prospective injury study) data were obtained prospectively between April 1991 and June 1992 about children who were injured while riding a bicycle and treated at a public hospital in Brisbane. Results-Study 1: fatality rates for boys were twice those for girls. The rate was highest for boys of 14 years in the metropolitan area at 6-23I100 000. All deaths involved vehicles, and the majority involved head injury or multiple injuries including head injury. Study 2: similar numbers of children were injured at on road and off-road locations. Faulty riding was described by the rider or caregiver as the cause in 62 5% of cases. The most common time of injury was between 3 and 6 pm on both school and non-school days. Only 5 5% of all incidents involved a moving vehicle. Conclusions-Bicycle riding by children is a common cause of injury, particularly for boys. Equal numbers of injuries occurred on the road as at other locations. Faulty riding caused most accidents. Injury prevention for bicycle riders should involve not only compulsory wearing of helmets, but should also include education and training about safe riding habits, separation of motorised vehicles from bicycles, modified helmet design to incorporate facial protection, and improved handlebar design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the risk of injury to the head and the effect of wearing helmets in bicycle accidents among children in Brisbane, Queensland. Cause for the head injury of children; Reduction on the risk of head injury by a helmet; Maximization of head injury protection by existing helmet design.

Examines the trend in head injuries among child bicyclists in Brisbane, Queensland. Use of injury surveillance data in the study; Details on the bicycle related injury; Decrease on the rate of head injury from bicycle accidents.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to ascertain the causes of accidents, injuries, and deaths in children who ride bicycles. Fatality and injury rates were also studied in order to compare with other studies., Methods: Two studies of children were undertaken in children aged less than 15 years. In the first (retrospective fatality study), children who died as a result of a bicycle incident during the period 1981-92 were reviewed. In the second (prospective injury study) data were obtained prospectively between April 1991 and June 1992 about children who were injured while riding a bicycle and treated at a public hospital in Brisbane., Results: Study 1: fatality rates for boys were twice those for girls. The rate was highest for boys of 14 years in the metropolitan area at 6.23/100,000. All deaths involved vehicles, and the majority involved head injury or multiple injuries including head injury. Study 2: similar numbers of children were injured at onroad and off-road locations. Faculty riding was described by the rider or caregiver as the cause in 62.5% of cases. The most common time of injury was between 3 and 6 pm on both school and non-school days. Only 5.5% of all incidents involved a moving vehicle., Conclusions: Bicycle riding by children is a common cause of injury, particularly for boys. Equal numbers of injuries occurred on the road as at other locations. Faulty riding caused most accidents. Injury prevention for bicycle riders should involve not only compulsory wearing of helmets, but should also include education and training about safe riding habits, separation of motorised vehicles from bicycles, modified helmet design to incorporate facial protection, and improved handlebar design.

Specific childhood injury types are ranked by occurrence rate for mortality, hospital admission and emergency department attendance. Cases are drawn from the resident population of Brisbane South, 0-13 years of age, for the period 1 July 1985 to 30 June 1991. A total of 47,244 injuries, 7056 admissions and 99 deaths were analysed. The overall mortality rate was 12.6/100,000 per year (95% confidence interval (CI), 10.2-15.3), the overall admission rate was 911/100,000 per year (95% CI, 890-932) and the overall hospital attendance rate was 6013/100,000 per year (95% CI, 5958-6067). A fall was the most frequent injury mechanism for admissions and 65% of attendances involved injury in the child's own home. The surveillance data establish regional variation for childhood injury risk within Australia and identify an unexplained downward trend in head injury that requires further investigation. The future development of injury surveillance in Australia requires simplified coding which can be integrated into new computerized patient management information systems.

Forty-two cases of oral eucalyptus oil poisoning in children under 14 years of age were identified in a defined population between 1 July 1984 and 30 June 1991, and 41 were subjected to retrospective case note analysis. Thirty-three children (80%) were entirely asymptomatic. This group included all of the four children reported to have ingested more than 30 mL of eucalyptus oil. Only two of the remaining children had symptoms or clinical signs on presentation to hospital. No child required advanced life-support. There was no correlation between the amount of eucalyptus oil taken and the presence of symptoms. If the estimated volume ingested is large, or symptoms are evident, on presentation at hospital gastrointestinal decontamination should lead to a good outcome with few clinical problems. Eucalyptus oil may be a less toxic compound than has previously been believed.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of domestic swimming pool drowning and near-drowning in Brisbane and to examine the efficacy of a broad range of preventive options, including pool fences., Design: A prospective, hospital-based, injury surveillance system to describe the epidemiology of drowning and near-drowning and a community survey to describe pool fencing., Setting: The surveillance questionnaire was completed at presentation in the Emergency Department by the parent, nurse and doctor. Personal interviews in households that were randomly selected by means of a stratified sampling scheme provided the pool fencing description., Participants: All 139 children suffering from an immersion injury resulting in presentation at a hospital in the catchment area of The Mater Children's Hospital were included. There were 204 households with a swimming pool in the 1024 households interviewed in the community survey., Results: The 100 domestic pool drownings and near-drownings were equivalent to 15.5 incidents per year per 100,000 children aged 0-13 years and 64.9 per year per 100,000 for the critical 1-3 years age group. Of 72 children who gained unintended access to a domestic pool, 88.9% were less than 3 years of age and 52.8% were less than 2 years. All 10 of the children who drowned and five who were severely brain damaged (age range, 12-32 months) were in this group. The risk of a drowning or near-drowning involving unintended access to an unfenced pool is 3.76 times higher than the risk associated with a fenced pool (95% confidence limits for relative risk: 2.14, 6.62)., Conclusions: Pool fences are an effective method of preventing child drownings and near-drownings. This effectiveness can be further improved if compliance with gate closure can be enhanced. This should be emphasised in health promotion accompanying the introduction of universal pool fencing.