FHMRI Injury Studies - Flinders University

FHMRI Injury Studies contributes to understanding the nature, causes and effects of human injury, and to reducing its occurrence and consequences.

We undertake research, surveillance, analysis, consultation, teaching, as well as dissemination of information on injury control and related matters to public health and other practitioners, academics, government and the community.

Our team has a strong foundation of statistical knowledge, skills and experience, combined with public health expertise, which we bring to bear in many areas, all related to injury.

Research areas

Our research areas

Through our eight main research areas we use our statistical, data and public health capabilities to bear in many areas, all related to injury.

Other activities include teaching, supervision of graduate students, and projects on many other types of injuries, e.g. spinal cord injury, bites and stings, marine safety, consumer product safety and sports safety.

Falls by older people

Fall-related injuries involving older people are a substantial issue for both policy makers and the community.

Rates of fall-related hospitalisations increase markedly with age. With an ageing population, fall-related injuries are of growing importance to society and a rising cost to the health care sector.

Indigenous injury

Almost all available evidence shows higher rates of injury among Indigenous Australians than in the general population. Is some cases, the differences are very significant.

Higher rates of injury in Indigenous people are an important contributor to the reduced life expectancy for Indigenous Australians.

Transport safety

Transport injury and transport safety have long been prominent themes in the work of this Centre.

This reflects the fact that, despite the enormous improvements in road safety that have been achieved, road injury remains the second major cause of fatal injuries (after suicide) and of hospitalised injuries (after falls by older people).

Alcohol and injury

Alcohol is one of the most important risk factors for injury. The link between alcohol consumption and injury risk has been well established in several settings, notably in road injury.

The harmful use of alcohol and drugs by Australians is a priority policy area for the Commonwealth government.

Classifications & terminologies

Injury surveillance and much injury research depend on classifications, the most widely used being the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Work-related injury

Most statistical reports of work-related injury have been based on Workers' Compensation and coroner data. Less use has been made of another source: data on cases admitted to hospital.

Data linkage, injury severity & other methodological developments

We are actively engaged in developing the methods on which injury surveillance and research depend. Prominent themes in this work inclue developing:

data linkage capabilities for injury research
methods for measuring injury severity using administrative data
techniques for routine reporting of injury outcomes.

Suicide & intentional self-harm

Suicide and intentional self-harm are significant public health problems in Australia. Since the mid-1980s, over 2,000 Australians have died by suicide each year, with counts peaking at over 2,600 in 1997 and 1998.

More deaths occur due to suicide in Australia than road deaths. Non-fatal intentional self-harm is much more numerous.

Better information on road injuries

Non-fatal road injuries are numerous and often serious. Information about them is not adequate to support road safety. Austroads has provided fund for a project in which linkage of crash, hospital and deaths data is being used to correct this. Stage 1 provided proof of concept. Stage 2 seeks to extend the method nationally and to 10 years of data.

Collaborations

Our key collaboration partners include government, university and non-government agencies at State, National and International levels.

Our involvement with these organisations range from participation on expert panels and boards to the commissioning of specific projects and collaborative ventures.

Current and past partnerships

Key projects

AIHW National Injury Surveillance Unit

The National Injury Surveillance Unit (NISU) is the main program of FHMRI Injury Studies.

NISU undertakes national public health surveillance of injury to support injury prevention and control. We engage in all aspects of surveillance, placing special emphasis on the analysis and dissemination of information, and on developing injury surveillance methods.

As the national entity responsible for injury surveillance, the NISU:

undertakes scrutiny of injury in Australia, using relevant available data
ensures that necessary data sources and other technical resources are developed and maintained
ensures coordination between injury surveillance, research and policy

A collaborating unit of the AIHW, it is operated and funded under an agreement between the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and Flinders University.

Road Transport Injury Surveillance

Transport injury and transport safety have long been prominent themes in our work. This reflects the fact that, despite the enormous improvements in road safety that have been achieved in Australia since about 1970, road injury remains the second major cause of fatal injuries (after suicide) and of hospitalised injuries (after falls by older people). Moreover, many injuries sustained in transport crashes are severe, reflecting the high speeds and high energy involved.

The National Injury Surveillance Unit carries out a program of statistical reporting for the Commonwealth government agency responsible for road safety (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE). The analyses carried out by NISU contribute to BITRE reports on Australian fatal and non-fatal road crashes, railway accidents and other aspects of road safety.