SAFETYLIT WEEKLY UPDATE

We compile citations and summaries of about 400 new articles every week.
RSS Feed

HELP: Tutorials | FAQ
CONTACT US: Contact info

Search Results

Journal Article

Citation

Kim YJ, Seo DW, Lee JH, Lee YS, Oh BJ, Lim KS, Kim WY. PLoS One 2017; 12(7): e0181362.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Public Library of Science)

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0181362

PMID

28704554

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine trends in the incidence and outcomes of bicycle-related injuries in emergency departments (ED) in South Korea.

METHODS: We analysed data from the National Emergency Department Information System database for adult patients (≥20 years) with bicycle-related injuries presenting to EDs in South Korea between January 2012 and December 2014. Riders and bicycle passengers whose injuries were associated with bicycle use were included. Serious outcomes were defined as death at the ED, need for emergency operation, or intensive care unit admission.

RESULTS: The number of people who commute to work by bicycle increased by 36% from 205,100 in 2005 to 279,544 in 2015. Of 529,278 traffic-related trauma cases, 58,352 (11.0%) were bicycle-related, which increased from 7,894 (10.2%) in the first half of 2012 to 12,882 (12.2%) in the second half of 2014 (p < 0.001). However, the proportion of serious outcomes decreased from 5.0% to 4.2% during the study period (p < 0.001). Serious outcomes were most frequent in the elderly (65-74 years) and older elderly (≥75 years) groups and decreased for all but the elderly age group from 10.3% to 9.8% (p = 0.204). The helmet use rate increased from 14.2% to 20.3% (p < 0.001) but was the lowest in the older elderly group (3.6%) without change during the study period (from 4.7% to 3.7%, p = 0.656). A lack of helmet use was significantly associated with serious outcomes (odds ratio, 1.811; 95% confidence interval, 1.576-2.082).

CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of bicycle-related injuries increased, the proportion of serious outcomes decreased, possibly due to increased helmet use. Public education on safety equipment use is required, especially in elderly populations.


Language: en

NEW SEARCH


All SafetyLit records are available for automatic download to Zotero & Mendeley
Print