Despite a significant decrease in the number of injury patients visiting emergency rooms across the country last year compared to the previous year, the proportion of patients who came to the emergency room due to intentional injuries such as self-harm, suicide, and violence was 11 out of 100, the highest since the 2006 survey. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in self-harm and suicide attempts among adolescents and young people in their 10s and 20s, raising alarm bells.
On the 28th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency released the '2024 Statistics on Injury Types and Causes' and analyzed the characteristics and major risk factors of injury patients who visited the emergency room last year. This is the result of the 'In-depth Investigation of Injury Patients in Emergency Rooms,' conducted annually since 2006, and will be used for the establishment of injury prevention policies and research.
Last year, the total number of injury patients who visited emergency rooms in 23 hospitals across the country was 86,633, a decrease of 42.6% from the previous year (203,285). However, the hospitalization rate increased to 23.7%, up 7.6 percentage points from the previous year, and the mortality rate also rose to 2.6%, an increase of 1.4 percentage points.
Due to the impact of conflicts in the medical system, the use of emergency rooms by mild patients has declined, while severe patients with a high risk of hospitalization or death primarily utilized emergency rooms. A Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official noted, 'The 2024 statistics should be interpreted considering the temporary situation of a sharp decline in patient numbers in the medical field.'
The most common cause of all injuries was falls (40%). This was followed by blunt trauma (15.2%) from being struck by objects, and transportation accidents (15.1%). In particular, injuries caused by falls (42.7%), intoxication (19.8%), blunt trauma (16.4%), and asphyxiation (0.9%) occurred more frequently in states of alcohol consumption than in non-drinking states.
The proportion of intentional injuries such as self-harm, suicide, violence, and homicide was 11.1% of all injuries, the highest since the survey began. Self-harm and suicide patients accounted for 8% of all injury patients, an increase of 3.6 times from 2.2% in 2014, ten years ago.
In particular, the rate of self-harm and suicide attempts among those in their 10s and 20s sharply increased compared to other age groups. More than half of the injury patients aged 13 to 18 who visited the emergency room were diagnosed with intoxication intended for suicide (85.8%). The most common reason for self-harm and suicide attempts was psychiatric issues such as depression (45.6%).
This indicates that mental health issues are spreading to a serious level. There are calls for urgent suicide prevention policies at the social level. Most self-harm and suicide attempts occurred at home (84.1%), with drug intoxication (67.4%) being the most common method.
Among transportation accident injury patients, the proportion of those aged 70 and older increased to 17.4%, 2.1 times higher than ten years ago. The proportion of those under 10 decreased to 13.9%, 1.6 times lower than ten years ago. The agency pointed out, 'When looking at modes of transportation, the proportion of injuries related to personal mobility devices such as electric scooters has increased 12 times over the past ten years.'
The proportion of injury patients from falls for those aged 70 and older has increased 2.1 times compared to ten years ago. As age increases, the hospitalization and mortality rates also rose. Falls primarily occurred in living rooms, bathrooms, staircases, and bedrooms, leading to brain injuries and fractures, which increased hospitalization and mortality rates.
Among all injury patients, men (56.5%) outnumbered women (43.5%), with the highest proportion being those aged 70 and older at 19.3%.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Lim Seung-kwan said, 'This statistics go beyond simple injury statistics to include serious social and medical challenges related to the increase in self-harm and suicide among adolescents, as well as the risk of injury in home and living spaces. Notably, the intoxication injuries intended for suicide observed in the 13-18 age group emphasize the urgency of mental health support for adolescents and drug safety management in homes.' He added, 'Based on this, we will develop and disseminate tailored injury prevention policies and educational materials for different life stages.'