NCJ Number
162838
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This research was conducted to determine the direct medical costs related to firearm injuries in Alberta, Canada, for the fiscal year 1993-94.
Abstract
Specifically, the study addressed the number of injuries treated at various points by the formal health care system, the costs according to both, the "intent" of injury and type of firearm, and the feasibility of conducting similar research in other Canadian jurisdictions. The study measured costs in the areas of ambulance transportation, emergency care, acute hospitalization (based upon patients admitted to the hospital and discharged after at least one night's stay), and in-hospital physician services. A total of 168 cases involved ambulance transportation at a cost of $91,698; 274 cases required emergency department services at a cost of $25,966; 136 cases required acute hospitalization services at $606,325; and the costs for the use of in-hospital physicians was $145,415. The total cost was $869,404. The study revealed that the cost to treat individual firearm injuries was related to the intent that led to the injury, as well as the type of firearm used. Self-inflicted injuries were the most expensive to treat, because they tended to result in the most serious wounds. Injuries that involved long guns, particularly shotguns, were more expensive to treat than injuries caused by handguns. The survey of data availability in other Canadian Provinces revealed that similar information could be collected from other jurisdictions. 1 table