The rate of hospital admittance for patients increased from fewer than 1 out of every 20 e-scooter injuries in 2011 to 1 out of every 8 requiring admittance into a hospital for care in 2020.
According to a new research abstract presented during the 2022 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, e-scooter injuries are becoming more common and increasingly severe.
“The number of annual e-scooter injuries has increased from 2011 to 2020, likely due in some part to the rise in popularity of rideshare e-scooter apps,” said lead author Harrison Hayward from Children’s National Hospital.
“Our study has characterised the spectrum of injuries that occur in children, which helps emergency room doctors prepare for taking care of them and helps parents and families to practice better safety,” Hayward added.
For the study, the team examined a national database of pediatric e-scooter injuries seen in emergency departments at over 100 US hospitals from 2011-2020 to find out what kinds of injuries children were sustaining and if any trends existed.
Over 10 per cent of all patients had a head injury, including a concussion, skull fractures, and internal bleeding. The most common injuries were arm fractures (27 per cent), followed by minor abrasions (22 per cent) and lacerations needing stitches (17 per cent).
The average age was 11.1 years and 59 per cent of patients were male. Admittance to a hospital rose from 4.2 per cent in 2011 to 12.9 per cent in 2020.
