Annual Rate of Hospitalization for Preventable Injury in Virginia from 2017–2021

Background:The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates ~225,000 deaths due to preventable events such as car crashes, falls, assaults, and self-harm.Injury and violence are among the leading causes of death and hospitalization in Virginia, with ~35,000 hospitalizations each year.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the burden of injuries and violence in Virginia to guide medical and public health communities and decision-makers and identify sources for intervention.Methods: Time-series analysis was performed using the Virginia Department of Health Injury and Violence database of fatal and nonfatal hospitalizations from all Virginia-licensed hospitals.Data for the calendar years 2017-2020 were stratified by hospitalization category, and hospitalization rates per 100,000 residents were trended.Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in the rate per 100,000 of all injury-and violence-related hospitalizations in Virginia from 2017 to 2021 (p < 0.05).Rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 residents due to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and unintentional self-harm demonstrated a statistically significant decrease during this period (p < 0.05).Rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 residents due to firearm injury, unintentional fire, adult or child abuse, assault, unintentional fall, and unintentional motor vehicle traffic did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference.Conclusions: Despite a reduction in the overall rate of injury-and violence-related hospitalizations according to the most recent 5-year data, only hospitalization due to intentional self-harm and TBI demonstrated a concurrent reduction.Hospitalizations due to firearm injury, unintentional fire, adult or child abuse, assault, unintentional fall, and unintentional motor vehicle traffic have remained stagnant despite state and local injury and violence prevention programming.Efforts by the Virginia Department of Health Injury and Violence Prevention Program and hospital systems should concentrate further resources on these causes of preventable injury through counseling programs and public education efforts.Further research may elucidate psychosocial barriers that impact the efficacy of already existing programs.