Citation

Sim TP, Ng KC. Singapore Med. J. 2005; 46(3): 103-105.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 229899. keech@kkh.com.sg.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Singapore Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15735872

Abstract

Childhood accidental trauma is now the second most common cause of death in Singapore children aged 0-14 and is the commonest cause of death in the 1-44 year age group. In a recent five-year audit of a major local pediatric emergency department, there were 74,321 attendances for injuries, of which only 9,087 (12%) attendances required admission.  Of those that required admission, only 232 (0.3%) patients were admitted for more than three days or had died.  Of those that were admitted for 3 or more days or died, only 50 (0.006%) were considered to have major trauma (death or injury severity score of 11 or more).  The major causes of traumatic childhood deaths in Singapore are well known: road traffic accidents, falls, and drowning.  In Singapore, the Traffic Police has purview of the first cause, while the Childhood Injury Prevention Programme has devoted its efforts to home injury prevention in its first year of inauguration.