E-scooter-related injuries are becoming more common and more costly

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Electric scooter-related injuries are increasing in frequency and treatment costs and are most likely to occur at night and on weekends, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

Riley Kahan of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora and colleagues examined the epidemiology of e-scooter-related injuries in Denver over time, associated hospital costs, and circumstances surrounding these injuries. The analysis included retrospective data from 2,424 patients treated for e-scooter-related injuries at a Level 1 trauma center from January 1, 2020, to November 1, 2023.

The researchers found that the number of annual e-scooter-related injuries has increased since 2020 (273 compared to 736 in 2021, 758 in 2022, and 657 in the first 10 months of 2023). The average annual total hospital costs for treating e-scooter-related injuries was $10.4 million ($6.4 million in 2020, $11.5 million in 2021, $11.9 million in 2022, and $10.9 million in the first 10 months of 2023). Of all e-scooter-related injuries, 45 percent occurred between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m., and 44 percent occurred on weekends. Treating e-scooter-related injuries at night was associated with higher hospital costs (median $10,459) than in the early morning ($4,973) or during the day ($4,871). The same was true for treating patients who were intoxicated ($13,404) compared to patients who were not intoxicated ($6,132).

“These findings can help develop e-scooter education initiatives and drive policy reforms to limit e-scooter use during times of highest injury rates and highest health care costs,” the authors write.

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