Head Injury in South Australia: Incidence of Hospital Attendance and Disability Based on a One‐year Sample

A full‐year sample of 1,698 head injuries treated at the accident and emergency department of a major metropolitan public hospital during 1984 was traced. Using a combination of medical record review of all cases, questionnaires and personal clinical assessment, estimates were made of the incidence rates of hospital attendance, admission and disability due to head injury by residents in the region of the hospital as well as estimates of the extent of the head injury problem in South Australia. The estimates are known to underestimate the actual rates, but provide valuable information on the size of the significant public health problem of head injury morbidity, and the burden on community rehabilitation and support services.