Increasing trend in the frequency of sports injuries treated at an Australian regional hospital

Regional and rural Australians have higher rates of injury death and hospital admissions and experience poorer health outcomes than their metropolitan counterparts. Understanding the injury burden and how it is changing is important for effective health care provision. Regional hospitals are already experiencing high workloads and emergency department (ED) over-crowding, including that associated with treatment of sports injuries. In New South Wales, the highest rates of hospital-treated sports injuries are in regional and rural areas. Victoria has experienced increasing numbers of sports injuries requiring hospital treatment statewide. This article investigates the frequency of hospital-treated sports injuries in one large Victorian regional hospital to quantify trends in a regional area and to assess the impact of these injuries on a regional hospital.