A new study from the Saskatoon Health Region says preventable injuries are a major health burden to the community.
The study says preventable injuries like falls, burns, poisonings and other accidents are leading to nearly 100 deaths, 1300 hospitalizations and over 15,000 people attending the city’s emergency rooms every year.
Dr. Michael Schwandt presented the study earlier this week.
He said many of these Emergency Room visits are preventable.
“We know the hospital system is often described as overloaded and many of these cases are preventable, so it could take a large load off our emergency medical system,” said Dr. Schwandt.
One of the key findings of the report is that those in the least advantaged areas of the city are far more likely to experience these preventable injuries.
Dr. Schwandt said hospitalization was almost double in the city’s least advantaged areas.
“In particular this played out in certain areas like motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian injuries, unintentional poisonings and burns and scars,” said Dr. Schwandt. “We saw almost 5 times the hospitalization rate for burns for those living in the less advantaged areas in the city.”
Dr. Schwandt says a lack of infrastructure and proper housing may be factors in leading to the preventable injuries.
He says a large burden on the health region could be reduced if these preventable injuries are lessened.
According to the health region, Saskatchewan has the highest injury hospitalization rates compared to any other province.