Abstract
Objective
To investigate the characteristics of stair-related injuries among individuals of
all ages and estimate national injury frequencies and rates using a representative
sample of patients treated in United States emergency departments.
Methods
Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System were analyzed for patients
treated for stair-related injuries in United States emergency departments from 1990
through 2012.
Results
An estimated 24,760,843 patients were treated in emergency departments for a stair-related
injury during the 23-year study period, averaging 1,076,558 patients annually, or
37.8 injuries per 10,000 United States residents. The annual rate of stair-related
injuries decreased by 12.6% (p < 0.001) during 1990–1996, followed by an increase of 24.0% (p < 0.001) during 1996–2012. Although the highest injury rates occurred among younger
children and older adults, the majority (67.2%) of emergency department visits for
stair-related injuries was by individuals 11–60 years old. Most patients were female (62.4%), who also had a higher injury rate (46.5
vs. 29.1 per 10,000) than males. Sprains and strains (32.3%), soft tissue injuries
(23.8%), and fractures (19.3%) were the most common types of injury. The body regions
most frequently injured were the lower extremities (42.1%) and head/neck (21.6%).
Patients ≤10 years old experienced more head/neck injuries. Older adult patients more frequently
sustained fractures than younger age groups.
Conclusions
Stairs are a common source of injury among individuals of all ages and the frequency
and rate of stair-related injuries are increasing. This underscores the need for increased
prevention efforts, particularly those related to stair design and construction.
Abbreviations:
CHI (Closed head injury), CI (Confidence interval), CPSC (United States Consumer Product Safety Commission), ED (Emergency department), NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System), RR (Relative risk), US (United States)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 20, 2017
Accepted:
September 19,
2017
Received in revised form:
August 27,
2017
Received:
July 7,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
