Cost of Injury in Atlantic Canada

A Cost of Injury in Canada report was published by Parachute in July 2021. Using a similar but updated methods, the 2022 Atlantic Canada report presents data on all injuries at the regional level from the year 2018.The report is published online only using interactive data visualizations.

To tell the story of the cost of injury in Atlantic Canada, this report presents data in five sections:

• The human cost of injury. Cases and rates of injury, 2018
• Costs to the health system and society. Total, direct and indirect costs of injury, 2018
• Costs by cause of injury. Total, per capita and per outcome costs by cause of injury, 2018
• Injury costs across the lifespan. Costs by age and sex by cause of injury, 2018
• Injury Priorities: Falls, transport and suicide/self-harm. Costs by age and sex for specific types of falls, transport incidents and suicide/self-harm, 2018

This report presents a very conservative estimate of the cost of injury. Most importantly, it does not quantify the pain and suffering preventable injuries cause for individuals, families and communities.

An important note about our data

Some numbers and percentages may not add up due to rounding. There may be variations in data between this report and provincial/national reports. Missing age group and sex are excluded from tables by age group and sex. For more information, review the limitations described in the Methods section.

Preventable injuries cost Atlantic Canada's economy $1.8 billion in a single year, including $1.3 billion in direct health care costs. The story does not end there. The human cost of injury brings pain, suffering and diminished health and well-being to individuals and their families. It impacts our potential to live long lives to the fullest.

Injury is the leading cause of death for ages 1 to 44. The human and societal potential lost through injury is immense.

• 1,275 deaths
• 3,949 disabilities, temporarily or permanently impacting potential for economic independence
• 14,830 hospitalizations
• 273,567 emergency department (ED) visits
• $1.3 billion in direct health care costs
• $1.8 billion in total economic costs

Falls was the leading cause of injury deaths, followed by:

• Suicide/self-harm
• Transport incidents
• Unintentional poisoning

Unintentional injuries, an injury that occurs without planning or intent, accounted for 86 per cent of injury costs ($1.5 billion). Falls had a higher total cost than any other cause in 2018, accounting for $760 million, or 43 per cent, of the total cost of injury.

Other leading injury causes, both unintentional and inflicted, by cost:

• Transport incidents: $256 million
• Suicide/self-harm: $201 million
• Unintentional poisoning: $79 million

• Children (0-14): falls, $52 million
• Youth and young adults (15-24): transport incidents, $77 million
• Adults (25-64): falls, $207 million
• Older adults (65+): falls, $464 million

The fact is, almost all these injuries and deaths, and the resulting costs, could have been prevented. We must take action to create a different story of an Atlantic Canada free from serious injuries and deaths.