Emergency presentations for farm-related injuries in older adults residing in south-western Victoria, Australia

Kara L Holloway-Kew; Timothy R Baker; Muhammad A Sajjad; Tewodros Yosef; Mark A Kotowicz; Jessie Adams; Susan Brumby; Richard S Page; Alasdair G Sutherland; Bianca E Kavanagh; Sharon L Brennan-Olsen; Lana J Williams; Julie A Pasco

doi:10.1111/ajr.13110

Emergency presentations for farm-related injuries in older adults residing in south-western Victoria, Australia

Aust J Rural Health. 2024 Mar 20. doi: 10.1111/ajr.13110. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kara L Holloway-Kew¹, Timothy R Baker¹, Muhammad A Sajjad¹, Tewodros Yosef^{1

2}, Mark A Kotowicz^{1

3

4}, Jessie Adams^{1

5}, Susan Brumby^{1

5}, Richard S Page^{1

4

6}, Alasdair G Sutherland^{1

7}, Bianca E Kavanagh⁸, Sharon L Brennan-Olsen¹, Lana J Williams¹, Julie A Pasco^{1

3

4

9}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia.
² School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan Teferi, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Medicine - Western Health, The University of Melbourne, St Albans, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ University Hospital Geelong, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, Victoria, Australia.
⁶ Barwon Centre for Orthopaedic Research and Education, Barwon Health and St John of God Hospital Geelong, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ South West Healthcare, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ Deakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
⁹ Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 38506552
DOI: 10.1111/ajr.13110

Abstract

Introduction: Farm workers are at high risk for injuries, and epidemiological data are needed to plan resource allocation.

Objective: This study identified regions with high farm-related injury rates in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, for residents aged ≥50 yr.

Design: Retrospective synthesis using electronic medical records of emergency presentations occurring during 2017-2019 inclusive for Local Government Areas (LGA) in the study region. For each LGA, age-standardised incidence rates (per 1000 population/year) were calculated.

Findings: For men and women combined, there were 31 218 emergency presentations for any injury, and 1150 (3.68%) of these were farm-related. The overall age-standardised rate for farm-related injury presentations was 2.6 (95% CI 2.4-2.7); men had a higher rate than women (4.1, 95% CI 3.9-4.4 versus 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.3, respectively). For individual LGAs, the highest rates of farm-related emergency presentations occurred in Moyne and Southern Grampians, both rural LGAs. Approximately two-thirds of farm-related injuries occurred during work activities (65.0%), and most individuals arrived at the hospital by transport classified as "other" (including private car, 83.3%). There were also several common injury causes identified: "other animal related injury" (20.2%), "cutting, piercing object" (19.5%), "fall ⟨1 m" (13.1%), and "struck by or collision with object" (12.5%). Few injuries were caused by machinery (1.7%) and these occurred mainly in the LGA of Moyne (65%).

Discussion and conclusion: This study provides data to inform future research and resource allocation for the prevention of farm-related injuries.

Keywords: emergency; epidemiology; public health; rural health; rural health in general.

Abstract

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