The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 11th that 2.88 million patients experienced injuries in the country in 2022, resulting in 26,688 deaths. Injuries refer to physical and mental health problems caused by external risk factors such as various accidents, disasters, and poisoning.
Domestic injury statistics have been collected individually by various agencies based on targets, locations, and activities in the past. It has been difficult to grasp the overall scale of injury occurrences and risk factors, leading to the establishment of a collaborative system in 2011. Starting with six agencies in 2011, this year, 11 agencies collaborated to present this statistic.
The 14th national injury comprehensive statistics compiled data on deaths, ambulance transports, and medical facility usage caused by injuries in 2022. The statistics and trends accumulated over the past ten years were also included.
◇Reasons for injuries vary by age…falls are the main cause for the elderly
Approximately 2.88 million people experienced outpatient care or hospitalization due to injuries in 2022. The number of injury patients transported by ambulance was 590,000, while 3,581 injury patients visited the emergency room daily, and 2,844 people were hospitalized. The medical expenses due to injuries amounted to 5.8 trillion won, which has consistently increased in transport-related expenditures over the past decade.
The factors causing injuries varied significantly by age. Among children, 4 out of 1,000 experienced abuse, with parents being the perpetrators in 83 out of 100 cases. Injuries occurring in schools were experienced by 1.8 out of every 100 students. Furthermore, 4.3 out of 1,000 students faced physical school violence, while 3.9 experienced bullying.
Among those in their 20s, 11 out of every 10,000 visited the emergency room due to violence or homicide, while 7.7 out of every 1,000 in their 30s, who are more active, experienced injuries from traffic accidents. In their 40s, 5.3 people visited the emergency room due to self-harm and fatal choices. Among the employed population in their 50s, 43.9 out of every 10,000 experienced work-related injuries, whereas 28.3 out of every 1,000 farmers in their 60s experienced injuries. For those aged 70 and older, 3.9 out of every 100 were hospitalized due to falls, making it the leading cause of injuries.
◇Self-harm and fatal choices, still ranked 1st in OECD
The mortality rate due to injuries was 34.5 per 100,000 population, similar to the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, self-harm and fatal choices accounted for 19.9 per 100,000, which is 1.7 times higher than the OECD average of 11.7, placing it first among 38 member countries.
More than 70% of deaths due to injuries among those aged 10 to 49 were from self-harm and fatal choices, with attempts due to poisoning having the highest rate at 69.4%. The main substance for poisoning was therapeutic drugs, accounting for 80.9%.
◇The leading cause of severe trauma is traffic accidents, while falls have the highest mortality rate
The national injury comprehensive statistics select topics related to injuries that have become social issues each year for in-depth analysis. The 14th report includes detailed analyses of severe trauma.
The number of male patients with severe trauma visiting the emergency room was higher than that of females, and there was a tendency for the number of severe trauma patients to increase with age. Notably, the number of severe trauma patients sharply increased in those over 50 years. Among individuals aged 70 and older, the mortality rate for those injured by falls was 70.9%, underscoring the need for prevention strategies that consider age-specific characteristics.
The leading cause of severe trauma was found to be traffic accidents, while the mortality rate was higher for falls. This indicates the need for establishing preventive management policies that consider both injury occurrence rates and mortality.
Noh Young-sun, head of the National Injury Survey and Monitoring Support Group (Seoul National University Hospital), noted, "Despite efforts to prevent injuries over the past decade, injuries remain one of the leading causes of death among younger age groups. It is important to utilize innovative technologies to develop preventive measures against injuries and to track their effectiveness to minimize fatalities and disabilities after injuries."
Jeong Young-mi, head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, emphasized, "Cooperation among related agencies is crucial for accurately understanding injury issues and establishing effective preventive management measures," adding, "The national injury comprehensive statistics can serve as a basis for studies and policy establishment related to prevention management, as they allow for a comprehensive view of the injury-related statistics from various institutions."