Epidemiological Pattern of Injuries in Iran; a Nationwide Review of Seven Million Emergency Department Admissions

INTRODUCTION Globally, it is estimated that around 5.8 million people die annually as result of injuries, which causes 10% of all deaths and 16% of disability adjusted life years lost worldwide. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of injuries in emergency departments in Iran. METHOD This cross sectional study was carried out using national injury surveillance data registry from 21 March 2009 to 20 March 2014. RESULTS 7,176,344 patients with the mean age of 27.5 ± 17.8 years were registered to 657 EDs (70.6% male). Road Traffic Crash (RTC) was the most common cause of injury (31.0%) followed by hit (28.2%) and fall (10.1%). While roads were the commonest place of injuries, 34.0% of patients have been injured at home. More than 90% of injuries were unintentional. Assault and suicide attempt were causes of injury in 5.6% and 3.9% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION This paper addresses where prevention measures are most urgently needed and offers insights which could be useful for injury prevention programs in Iran and other developing countries.