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Original Article
Incidence and lifetime costs of injuries in the United States
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  1. P Corso1,
  2. E Finkelstein2,
  3. T Miller4,
  4. I Fiebelkorn3,
  5. E Zaloshnja4
  1. 1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
  2. 2Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
  3. 3RTI International
  4. 4Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, MD, USA
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr P Corso
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 4770 Buford Highway NE, Mailstop K60, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA; pcorso{at}cdc.gov

Abstract

Background: Standardized methodologies for assessing economic burden of injury at the national or international level do not exist.

Objective: To measure national incidence, medical costs, and productivity losses of medically treated injuries using the most recent data available in the United States, as a case study for similarly developed countries undertaking economic burden analyses.

Method: The authors combined several data sets to estimate the incidence of fatal and non-fatal injuries in 2000. They computed unit medical and productivity costs and multiplied these costs by corresponding incidence estimates to yield total lifetime costs of injuries occurring in 2000.

Main outcome measures: Incidence, medical costs, productivity losses, and total costs for injuries stratified by age group, sex, and mechanism.

Results: More than 50 million Americans experienced a medically treated injury in 2000, resulting in lifetime costs of $406 billion; $80 billion for medical treatment and $326 billion for lost productivity. Males had a 20% higher rate of injury than females. Injuries resulting from falls or being struck by/against an object accounted for more than 44% of injuries. The rate of medically treated injuries declined by 15% from 1985 to 2000 in the US. For those aged 0–44, the incidence rate of injuries declined by more than 20%; while persons aged 75 and older experienced a 20% increase.

Conclusions: These national burden estimates provide unequivocal evidence of the large health and financial burden of injuries. This study can serve as a template for other countries or be used in intercountry comparisons.

  • DCI, detailed claim information
  • HCUP-NIS, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project–Nationwide Inpatient Sample
  • MEPS, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
  • NVSS, National Vital Statistics System
  • WHO, World Health Organization
  • cost
  • cost-of-illness (COI)
  • incidence
  • demographics
  • mechanism
  • trend

https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2005.010983

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    Footnotes

    • ↵* Includes: fractures; dislocations; sprains and strains; intracranial injury; internal injury of thorax, abdomen, and pelvis; open wound of the head, neck, trunk, upper limb, and lower limb; injury to blood vessels; late effects of injury, poisoning, toxic effects, and other external causes, excluding those from complications of surgical and medical care and drugs or from medicinal or biological substances; superficial injury; contusion; crushing injury; effects of foreign body entering through orifice; burns; injury to nerves and spinal cord; traumatic complications and unspecified injuries; poisoning and toxic effects of substances; other and unspecified effects of external causes; child maltreatment syndrome; adult maltreatment, unspecified; adult physical abuse; adult emotional or psychological abuse; adult sexual abuse; adult neglect (nutritional); other adult abuse and neglect.

    • ↵† In the original report, the estimate included injuries that resulted in lost workdays and/or bed days, but without medical treatment. Using data provided by authors of that report, we reduced their estimate to focus on injuries that received medical treatment, allowing us to fairly compare both estimates.

    • The findings and conclusions in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.