Spine injuries down 50% since penalty points began

THE number of road accident victims treated at the National Spinal Injuries Unit has dropped by half in the first six months of the penalty points system.

A study carried out at the Mater Hospital-based unit found 17 patients were admitted between November 2002 and April 2003, compared to 34 for the same period in 2001-2002.

The single biggest monthly fall was from 10 in December 2002 to three last December. The only increase was in March 2003, when six people were admitted, compared to three the previous year.

Cardiothoracic registrar Dr David Healy, who led the research, said the reduction in road accident patients at the unit meant a reduced workload, greater availability of beds and a drop in the number of families forced to deal with the massive cost and trauma of spinal injury.

The average treatment cost for spinal disorders and injuries, based on Department of Health case-mix figures, which include the Mater, is €4,508.18, based on a 15-day length of stay. Spinal procedures, based on a 20-day stay, average at €9,350.95. Dr Healy said the average length of stay in the spinal injuries unit is 12 days.

While Dr Healy praised the positive impact of the penalty points system for reducing road accident spinal injury referrals, he said the effectiveness of the system would need to be analysed after a year in operation.

“We looked at the first six months, so it is possible that it was the honeymoon period. The danger is that people will become more cavalier as time goes on,” he said.

Dr Healy also warned the reduction in the number of road accident spinal injury referrals had not been matched by a reduction in the severity of injury at the Mater. He said more research needed to be done to assess any change in trauma patterns. Of almost 400 patients admitted to the spinal unit over the period of the study, 37% were road accident victims. Less than 30% were road accident victims in the six months of the points system, according to figures reported in the Irish Medical Times.

National Safety Council chief executive Pat Costello welcomed the findings of the study. “The penalty points system is working and the statistics in this research bear out the fact that it benefits road safety,” he said.

He said the beneficial effects were not confined to a reduction in spinal injuries, but extended to accident and emergency departments, which he said had also seen a fall-off in the number of road-accident victims.