Drowning-Related Hospitalization in Arizona & Maricopa County, 2016-2018

DROWNING-RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS IN ARIZONA

AND MARICOPA COUNTY, 2016-2018

SUMMARY

This annual report provides statistical information about drownings and nonfatal
drownings occurring in Arizona, with a focus on incidents occurring in Maricopa county.
Starting with data for 2016 we analyze Arizona hospitalization data, called the Hospital
Discharge Database (HDD). The national switch in late 2015 to ICD-10-CM diagnostic
coding allows a robust analyses of admissions to emergency departments and to the inpatient
setting.

In 2016, 2017, and 2018 the HDD recorded 419, 438, and 429 statewide
admissions (incidents) of persons of all ages. Young children (0-4 years of age)
comprised 751 of these admissions statewide. For the 3-year period, admissions to
hospitals in Maricopa county totaled 871, of which 558 were young children. Swimming
pools and bathtubs were the water types most commonly identified in Maricopa county
for incidents involving young children. Hospitalizations from incidents during the 3 years
in so-called “natural water” (such as rivers and lakes) totaled 136, mostly among
persons 15 years of age and older. Hospital charges for the 3 years in Maricopa county
exceeded $17.8 million, and for the state $25 million. In a separate analysis using
death certificates, the Maricopa drowning death rate of young children increased from
3.3 deaths per 100,000 children in 2015 to 6.4 deaths per 100,000 children in 2018.

While use of HDD data for the monitoring of incident cases now extends
statewide there are shortcomings, such as a lack of inclusion of persons who are not
hospitalized (e.g., deaths on-scene) and loss of detail about the circumstances that first
responders provided in the previous monitoring system. Nevertheless, the HDD when
accompanied by data from death certificates provides data useful for studying the risk
factors and monitoring progress in reducing the incidence of drowning and nonfatal
drowning.

Read the full report

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Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona

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