The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) will release the results of the Discharge Injury In-depth Survey, conducted to identify the characteristics of patients hospitalized due to injuries, along with the “2023 Discharge Injury Statistics” and related raw data, starting June 30.

The Discharge Injury Deep Survey has been conducted since 2005 to provide evidence for the establishment and evaluation of injury prevention and management policies. It investigates the occurrence and epidemiological characteristics of injuries. The survey results are published annually as the “Discharge Injury Statistics,” and raw data is also provided for use in research and policy development.

According to the survey results, the total number of hospitalized patients in South Korea in 2023 was 7,878,504, of which 1,230,202 were hospitalized due to injuries, accounting for 15.6% of the total and ranking first among hospitalized patients. Although this represents a 1.9% decrease compared to 10 years ago, it is still higher than the rates for cancer (11.7%) and digestive system diseases (11.3%), highlighting the need for active interest and systematic management in injury prevention.

Among all injury patients, males (50.3%) outnumbered females (49.7%), but females (63.6%) accounted for a higher proportion in the age group of 65 years and older.

Falls (51.6%) were the main cause of injury, and the hospitalization rate for falls was approximately 1.5 times higher for women (1,350) than for men (891). The next most common injuries were transportation accidents (19.9%) and collisions (11.1%). Compared to 2013, falls and slips increased (from 748 in 2013 to 1,121 in 2023, 49.9% increase) and transportation accidents decreased (729 in 2013 to 433 in 2023, 40.6% decrease).

When examining injuries caused by falls and slips by age group, they were more common among men aged 0–54, but among women aged 55 and older. Notably, the hospitalization rate for injuries caused by falls and slips among the elderly aged 75 and older was approximately 15.9 times higher than that of those aged 0–14. When comparing the same gender and age groups, the hospitalization rate for women aged 75 and older (6,389) was 27.5 times higher than that of women aged 0–14 (232).

The hospitalization rate for poisoning-related injuries was higher among women (48) than men (36), with a higher proportion of women across all age groups except those aged 65 and older.

Across all age groups, intentional self-harm was the primary purpose of poisoning, with 89.2% of cases in the 15-24 age group. However, in the 55-64 age group, the rates of unintentional poisoning (46.9%) and intentional self-harm poisoning (48.5%) were similar, highlighting the need to consider gender and age-specific characteristics in poisoning injury management.

When examining the primary substances used for intentional self-harm, neuropsychotropic drugs such as antiepileptic drugs, sedatives, and sleep aids accounted for the highest proportion of poisoning cases across all age groups (47.1–58.0%). The next most common substances were analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs (24.1–31.1%) among those aged 0–24, gases and volatile substances (17.1–21.9%) among those aged 25–54, and pesticides and herbicides (27.6–41.1%) among those aged 55 and older.

The hospitalization rate for intentional self-harm patients by life stage (per 100,000 population) was highest among the elderly (aged 65 and older) at 62, followed by adolescents (aged 13–18) at 56, young adults (aged 19–64) at 34, and children (aged 0–12) at 1. Compared to 2013, the number of adolescents increased sharply (from 30 in 2013 to 56 in 2023, an 86.7% increase) before decreasing slightly in 2023, while the number of elderly people decreased in 2021 but has been increasing again since then, which is worth noting. When examining gender characteristics, female adolescents (92) were 4.0 times more numerous than male adolescents (23), and among the elderly, females (90) were 2.2 times more numerous than males (41). At this point, measures and social attention considering not only age but also gender-specific characteristics are required.

The most common location for injury patients was roads and sidewalks (27.7% for males, 23.1% for females), while females had the highest proportion at residential areas (13.6% for males, 27.1% for females), and males had a relatively higher proportion at industrial and construction sites (6.5% for males, 0.5% for females).

The average length of hospital stay for injury patients (13 days) was 6 days longer than that for non-injury patients (7 days), and the length of stay increased with age (0–14 years: 5 days; 75 years and older: 17 days). By injury cause, falls (14 days), fire/flame/heat (14 days), and transportation accidents (12 days) were the most common, while by payment source, workers' compensation insurance (23 days), medical aid (17 days), and national health insurance (12 days) were the most common.

According to the 2023 discharge injury statistics, injury types and distributions varied by gender and age, indicating that prevention policies require a refined approach reflecting gender and age-specific characteristics.

Ji Young-mi, Director of the Disease Control Agency, stated, "The Disease Control Agency conducts injury survey statistics, including in-depth surveys of injuries upon discharge, based on the ‘Act on the Prevention and Management of Injuries.’ Through these efforts, we have established scientific grounds for injury prevention and management policies and developed various injury prevention rules and guidelines that are easily accessible to the public. Going forward, we will continue to analyze the injury characteristics of the population across their life stages using data accumulated through related surveys and actively work to establish effective prevention and management policies based on these findings. In addition, we hope that the academic community will make extensive use of the raw data to further promote research on injury prevention."

Meanwhile, as part of its practical efforts to prevent injuries, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has developed and distributed educational programs on injury prevention for children's experiential activities and exercise and expert training programs for the prevention of falls among the elderly. In April of this year, it distributed safety guidelines for personal mobility devices and is engaged in various other prevention activities.

The ‘2023 Discharge Injury Statistics’ can be viewed on the National Injury Information Portal, and the raw data is provided through the National Injury Information Portal website after application and review in accordance with the ‘Regulations on the Disclosure of Raw Data by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) (KDCA Notice No. 124).’ Users can understand the structure of the data and easily utilize the necessary variables for analysis through the “Guidelines for Using Raw Data from the Discharge Injury In-depth Survey.”

[News Source: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency]