E-Scooter Injuries Rack Up Big Medical Bills
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Jan. 19, 2024 -- Electric scooters might seem a fun way to zip about, but they’re also a pricey hazard to riders’ health, a new study argues.
Orthopedic treatment for 82 patients injured in e-scooter wrecks averaged more than $28,400 per person, as doctors labored to mend broken bones and dislocated joints.
“E-scooters go up to 20 miles per hour, but people are allowed to ride them on sidewalks with no safety equipment. It’s no surprise that many riders have had high-energy traumas, and their communities often absorb the cost,” said researcher Dr. Drew Sanders, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery and residency program director at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
E-scooter injuries have increased dramatically in recent years, rising 22% between 2021 and 2022, according to a recent report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Dallas offers an e-scooter sharing program that was suspended in 2020 due to safety concerns but brought back in spring 2023, researchers said in background notes.
For their study, researchers analyzed medical records at Parkland Memorial Hospital, a public hospital that serves Dallas County. The hospital is funded by county residents through property taxes to provide safety-net care for those without insurance.
The team identified 82 patients treated between January 2017 and August 2020 for injuries linked to e-scooters.
About 7 in 10 patients were male, with an average age of 34.
The most common injuries were elbow and ankle fractures, although other types of fractures and dislocations occurred frequently.
About 30% of the cases required hospitalization, 23% needed ambulance transport and 15% needed an ER trauma team for treatment, results show.
Overall, orthopedic treatment of these patients cost more than $2.3 million, researchers said.
Because two-thirds of patients were either uninsured or insured by the public hospital system, the community bore most of this cost, Sanders said.
The new study was published recently in the Journal of Orthopaedic Business.
“Given the magnitude of associated health system costs demonstrated within this study, the financial burden to the city or taxpayers may be of additional consideration when regulating this burgeoning form of transportation,” the authors concluded in a journal news release.
Sources
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, news release, Jan. 17, 2024
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2024
Read this next
Pedestrians Twice as Likely to Be Hit by Electric Cars Versus Gas-Powered Ones
WEDNESDAY, May 22, 2024 -- Many people have been caught by surprise when an electric-powered car has smoothly and silently crept up on them as they walked. But such an accident...
Blood Pressure Meds Raise Fracture Risks for Those in Nursing Homes
MONDAY, May 20, 2024 -- Blood pressure medications appear to more than double the risk of life-threatening bone fractures among nursing home residents, a new study warns. The...
Living Near Green Spaces Could Strengthen Your Bones
THURSDAY, March 7, 2024 -- Living close to trees and other greenery could be keeping your bones strong, a new 12-year study suggests. Folks whose residences were near spots...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.
