The likelihood of being hospitalized from slipping on ice is far greater in Manitoba than being hospitalized from a sports-related injury. A spokesperson for Canadian Institute for Health Information says that is one of their findings from a report released Thursday.
The Institute released a report on the leading causes of injury-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits in Canada. Diana Craiovan is Program Lead for Hospital Data Advancement and Engagement. She says their intent for releasing this data is to shed light on hospitalization trends related to injuries and trauma within Canada.
"This data is necessary for health system planning and regulatory policies designed to improve injury prevention for Canada," says Craiovan. "Our hope is that this will lead to more informed decisions that will decrease the number of injuries sustained and improve the health of Canadians."
Craiovan says data shows that unintentional falls, motor vehicle collisions, and accidental poisonings are the leading causes of injury-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits not only in Manitoba, but all of Canada.
In 2023/24, there were 442 hospitalizations in Manitoba that resulted from someone falling on ice. By comparison, there were 42 hospitalizations from sports-related injuries, including hockey (22), football/ rugby (10), and soccer (10).
Craiovan says falling on ice is the leading cause of sport and winter injury hospitalizations. This is followed by cycling (160 hospitalizations) and all-terrain vehicle use (154 hospitalizations).
In 2023/24, there were 5,618 hospitalizations in Canada caused by falling on ice. There were slightly more women (2,937) than men (2,681) hospitalized. The age group that had the highest number was 65- to 84-year-olds with 2,558, followed by 18- to 64-year-olds with 2,466.
"When we looked at the distribution by age and sex, a lot of the hospitalizations (from falling on ice) are in the more senior age group," says Craiovan. "They are the more frail population."
According to Canadian Institute for Health Information, some of the other key findings in this report are that in 2023/24, there were 283,000 acute inpatient hospitalizations due to injury in Canada, up from 272,000 in 2022/23. Approximately 13 per cent of the estimated 15 million visits to emergency departments across Canada each year are due to injuries. Overall, injury-related hospitalizations increased across all age groups for men and women between 2022/23 and 2023/24. The largest volume increase was among people aged 65 to 84, which saw a 4.8 per cent increase driven by injuries related to falls.