# Outpatient healthcare costs of childhood injuries in Australia: a 15-year longitudinal analysis using linked survey and health insurance data

## TL;DR

This study analyzed 15 years of data to estimate the financial impact of childhood injuries on Australia's healthcare system, finding significant outpatient costs.

## Contribution

The study provides a longitudinal analysis of injury-related healthcare costs in Australian children using linked survey and insurance data.

## Key findings

- Annual excess outpatient costs for injured children were A$104.8 million for community-based treatment.
- Costs per capita for childhood injuries were higher than for other childhood conditions.
- The study estimates these costs are likely an underestimate due to missing inpatient data.

## Abstract

This study evaluated the excess out-of-hospital healthcare costs associated with unintentional childhood injuries in Australia. This relationship was investigated within a longitudinal biennially surveyed cohort of 8,852 children aged 0–19 years. We assessed whether costs increased over age and with the duration of injury prevalence. Results were compared against cost estimates from similar studies in Australia and analogous developed nations.

The nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children provided linked Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) cost data for the Birth and Kindergarten cohorts, followed for 15 years.

We used a mixed effects generalized linear model (GLM) with a gamma distribution and log link to estimate outpatient healthcare costs and assess the effect of injury status, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. This model accounted for repeated measures over time and variability both within and between individuals.

Annual excess outpatient and pharmaceutical costs for injuries among 0–19 year-olds were A$39.1 million for those who were hospitalised and A$104.8 million for those only requiring community-based treatment. These estimates do not include inpatient hospital costs, which are not captured in the Medicare dataset.

Unintentional childhood injuries in Australia incur significant financial burden on the public healthcare system, with costs per capita higher than other childhood conditions. Our figures are likely an underestimate. These excess healthcare costs support preventive efforts to reduce injury incidence among children.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40621-025-00582-0.