Deaths of older Australians related to their use of motorised mobility scooters.

This study describes motorized mobility scooter (MMS) rider-related fatalities in the older Australian population during the years 2000-2011, identified from the National Coronial Information System. Seventy-seven fatalities were identified, most aged 80 years or older (74.1%) and males predominated (76.

Effectiveness of the 2005 compulsory personal flotation device (PFD) wearing regulations in reducing drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia.

Objective: To investigate whether the Victorian mandatory personal flotation device wearing regulations that came into effect on 1 December 2005 reduced drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia.

Design: A retrospective population-based 'before and after' study using Victorian coronial data on drowning deaths of occupants of recreational vessels operating in Victorian waters.

Methods: The annual numbers of deaths in the 5 years after the transition year of the regulations (2005) was compared with the annual numbers of deaths in the 6 years prior to the transition year, using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Did compulsory wear regulations increase personal flotation device (PFD) use by boaters in small power recreational vessels? A before-after observational study conducted in Victoria, Australia.

Objective: To estimate the effect of the 2005 Victorian mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) wearing regulations on PFD use by occupants of small (hull length ≤4.8 m) power recreational vessels.

Design: Before-after observational study investigating the probability of PFD use among occupants of small vessels before and after the regulations were introduced compared with the probability of use by their counterparts on large power vessels (hull length >4.

Injury causation in the great outdoors: A systems analysis of led outdoor activity injury incidents.

Despite calls for a systems approach to assessing and preventing injurious incidents within the led outdoor activity domain, applications of systems analysis frameworks to the analysis of incident data have been sparse. This article presents an analysis of 1014 led outdoor activity injury and near miss incidents whereby a systems-based risk management framework was used to classify the contributing factors involved across six levels of the led outdoor activity 'system'. The analysis identified causal factors across all levels of the led outdoor activity system, demonstrating the framework's utility for accident analysis efforts in the led outdoor activity injury domain.

Traumatic orodental injuries and the development of an orodental injury surveillance system: a pilot study in Victoria, Australia.

Traumatic orodental injuries are common dental public health problems that have complex aetiology and significant impact on those affected. It is important to understand the frequency, pattern and causes of traumatic orodental injuries so that appropriate and effective treatment services are made available and injury prevention interventions are designed and implemented. The aims of this study were to measure the frequency, causes and patterns of traumatic orodental injuries in patients of all ages treated at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, over a 12-month period and to investigate the feasibility of establishing an orodental injury surveillance system.

The public health impact of injury during sport and active recreation.

Injuries can be an adverse outcome of participation in sport and recreational activities. The aim of this study was to determine the public health impact of injury during sports and active recreation injury in a select population in Australia. A random household telephone survey was conducted quarterly over a 12-month period in a well-defined geographic region, the Latrobe Valley, Australia.

Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset: factors that impact upon the data quality.

Objective: The Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD) records details of approximately 80% of Victoria's ED presentations. Its usefulness for quality assurance and research relies on the data being both complete and accurate. We aimed to determine the factors that impact adversely on the collection of high-quality VEMD data.