Epidemiology of injuries in school: Analysis of 3285 medical entries in a suburban school

Abstract

Background: Injuries in school are a common phenomenon. However, we do not yet know the incidence of these injuries. We, therefore, examined the medical record of a busy suburban school to understand the pattern of injuries and any other medical conditions. Methods: We examined all medical entries including injuries and any other medical conditions seeking medical attention between June 2012 and October 2012(both months inclusive) in a suburban school. Results: 56.01% of all entries (1840 entries) were injuries alone. Out of all injuries, 94.45% injuries were outdoor injuries (1738 entries). Considering open and closed nature of injuries, open injuries were found to be contributing 76.57% to all injuries (1409 entries). Conclusions: Our study indicates that almost one in ten children attend medical room with various medical conditions, more than half of which are due to injuries. This is an important observation and can help in planning prevention of unintentional injuries in a school atmosphere.