An audit of dog-related injury notification practices in a New Zealand public hospital.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the rate of notification by health professionals to an appropriate authority, for all DRIs that presented during the 2018/19 year to a New Zealand public hospital, and to describe the incidence and characteristics of these presentations.

Method: Data were obtained from all discharges from a New Zealand public hospital, with the primary external cause of injury code W54.0 (Bitten by Dog) + W54.1 (Struck by Dog) or W54.8 (Other Contact with Dog) as per the Australian Modification of the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, during the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019. Clinical notes were screened for documentation of notification of the incident to an appropriate authority, including local animal management, social work, Oranga Tamariki (NZ's child protection services), or police.

Results: There were 329 presentations to the emergency department with a DRI, 97% of which (n=320) were dog bites. There was a non-significant higher one-year cumulative incidence in children aged 0-9 years compared to adults aged 15 years and over. Children aged 0-9 years were also more likely to be injured on the head, face or neck, compared to adults or children 10-14 years, who were more likely to be injured on their limbs or torso. Notification of incidents were notified to an authority in 1.5% of incidents, including animal management services or a social worker.

Conclusion: This study found a low rate (1.5%) of documented notification by health professionals of dog bites and other DRIs. Further research is required to investigate the evidence for introducing strategies to increase reporting on the incidence of injuries, and any potential impact on presentations for medical attention.