Predictive Characteristics of Childhood emergency injury presentations in non-urban Victoria, Australia.

Abstract Background Injury is the leading cause of death and disability amongst those between 0–16 years of age. Routinely associated with a social gradient of health, childhood injury is reportedly higher in rural and regional areas. The Rural Acute Hospital Data Register (RAHDaR), which includes previously non-reported data, provides a more accurate understanding of injury emergency presentation events and the factors associated with these presentations. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study collected de-identified emergency injury presentation data from nine health services in regional Victoria for children aged 0–14 years between 2017 and 2022. Demographic and presentation data were collated along with government datasets. Emergency injury presentation incidence rates and predictor variables were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression. Significance was determined at p < 0.05. Results Among the 15884 emergency injury presentations, 35.2% (n = 5,597) occurred at health services who did not previously report data. This increase in our understanding of emergency injury presentations demonstrates a rate of 141.63 presentations per 1000 children per year. Key factors such as age, gender, local attendance rates of free three-and-a-half year final stage child health assessment and pre-school, an increasing number of GPs per head of population and Index of Education and Occupation were associated with emergency injury presentation events across gender, while socioeconomic status was not predictive. Interestingly local rates of attendance at free three-and-a-half year final stage child health assessment and attending pre-school were specifically predictive among the 0–4 age group. Conclusions Although some findings are consistent with current research, the study high- lights previously unrecognized specific factors that are predictive of injury among 0-4-year-old children that require deeper investigation. These findings provide more accurate insights for healthcare workers and policymakers as they seek to support people with injury and accurately address health inequities.