Injury events sustained in residential environments: age and physical disability as explanatory factors for differences in injury patterns in Sweden

Journal article, 2017

The aim is to analyze how age and physical (dis)ability jointly condition the probability of different types of injuries in residential settings, in order to identify injury countermeasures. There is a need to identify risk factors associated with injuries involving disabled people in their homes. The data include 62,674 records of unintentional injuries in the residential settings from Injury Database 2001–2015. Injuries were twice as likely to occur in residential settings, compared to other environments. Individuals with dis-abilities were more likely to be injured in their residences through falls, compared to non disabled individuals. Contusion was a more common injury type in the disabled group, while open wounds were more common in the non disabled group. Age was the most important factor for predicting fractures and the risk for fractures increased by age, while risk factors related to physical disability did not appear to play a role. The evidence is clear that people with disabilities, and older people without disabilities, would benefit from safety interventions in their home to reduce harm from falls after they have occurred. In keeping with principles to support autonomy, it is recommended that a range of passive measures be implemented to reduce injury risks.