The growing burden of injuries and trauma in Alice Springs

Abstract

In Alice Springs, assault and attempted homicide, self-harm and attempted suicide and transportation accidents contribute substantially to the burden of disease, especially among the aboriginal population who are poor and disadvantaged. While road traffic accidents and self-inflicted injuries are the leading causes of injury-related deaths worldwide, violence is a major factor in Alice Springs trauma. Violence accounted for more than half the annual trauma case load. Aboriginal Central Australians bear a disproportionate risk of injury and illness compared to their non-aboriginal counterparts. Rampant alcoholism and social and family breakdown are thought to be significant contributors to the high incidence of violence in Alice Springs. There were 2,800 trauma admissions to Alice Springs hospital in 2006 compared to 1,800 admissions in 2003. Geographical location often limits timeliness, access and level of health care available to rural and isolated regions of central Australia. Solutions to the trauma epidemic in our Remote indigenous population must look past the Emergency and Surgical Departments that care for the injured to the individual, community, environmental, social and economic factors that underpin the traumas. Traumatic injury and death maybe the most preventable of all health issues. While tremendous resources are spent caring for injured patients in hospital, less attention is paid towards gaining a better understanding of injury prevention.