Margaret Jean Hall, PhD, Hospital Care Statistics Branch, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, Room 3409, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301-458-4252, mjh5@cdc.gov, Lois Fingerhut, MA, Office of Analysis, Epidemiology and Health Promotion, NCHS, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, and Melissa A Heinen, MPH, Formerly with theOffice of Analysis, Epidemiology and Health Promotion, NCHS/CDC, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Purpose: This research presents trends in elderly hospitalizations for injury, their causes, and changes in injury reporting over time. Methods: Annual data from the 1979-2001 National Hospital Discharge Survey, a representative national survey of short-stay, non-federal US hospitals, were analyzed. First-listed injury diagnoses were identified based on the State and Territorial Injury Prevention Directors’ Association (STIPDA) definition and the Barell Matrix, classifying the nature and body region of injury. Of interest were discharges for persons age 65 and over, including variation in injuries among the elderly. A test of trends was used to analyze the data. Results: Hospitalization rates for injured elderly decreased over time, but remained high relative to other age groups. Fractures, the leading cause of injury hospitalizations, decreased for discharges below age 65, but remained high for the elderly across 23 years. Elderly females’ hip fracture rates increased over time. Female hip fracture hospitalization rates for those 85 and older were more than double the rates of 75-84 year olds, and almost 10 times the rates of those 65-74. Reporting of external causes of injury improved over time and was available for 60 percent of elderly injury hospitalizations in 2001. Conclusions: An important goal for injury control programs is to prevent elderly fractures, particularly hip fractures for women 85 and over. Programs assisting the elderly with elimination of hazards in the home, medication monitoring, driver safety, and transportation alternatives, could help prevent falls and motor vehicle accidents – identified in this research as leading causes of fracture hospitalizations.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Identify the major types of injuries (e.g fractures, internal injuries) which result in hospitalization of the elderly
• Recognize major external causes of these injuries (e.g. falls and motor vehicle accidents)
• Assess the findings in terms of injury control and prevention measures needed to decrease injury hospitalization of the elderly
• Define the target groups for each intervention needed to decrease serious injuries (e.g. women over 85 for programs to prevent hip fractures)
• List and evaluate the types of existing programs which have potential for lowering the rate of hospitalization of the elderly for injuries (e.g. home safety education, driver safety, medication monitoring).

Keywords: , Injuries

Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/hdasd/nhds.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.