PC1017: National Trends in Pediatric E-scooter Injury

Background: With the rise of standing electric scooters (e-scooters) as a popular form of micro-mobility, the incidence of e-scooter-related injuries has increased. As of yet, no study has taken a granular look at patterns of e-scooter injuries seen in the pediatric population specifically. An awareness of these injury patterns is necessary in order to more accurately inform public policy and safe e-scooter practice. The purpose of this descriptive population study is to characterize the spectrum of e-scooter-related injuries in pediatric patients presenting to emergency rooms in the United States stratified by age group from 2011 through 2020 using a national database.

Methods: Encounter-level data for cases of pediatric e-scooter injuries was pulled from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a publicly available federal database published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that collects deidentified information on consumer product-related injuries as reported by over 100 hospitals in the United States. Patients age 0 to 18 years were identified by diagnostic coding within the database and statistically analyzed. Data of interest included patient age, injury type, involved body part(s), disposition, and injury year. Broken down by age group, summary statistics with percentages were used to assess injury patterns and trends in disposition over time.

Results: A total of 1,446 patients were identified. The average age at time of injury was 11.1 years and 858 (59.3%) were male. The most commonly injured body part group was upper extremity (495, 34.23%). 1,318 (91.1%) were discharged and 102 (7.1%) were admitted, with no fatalities reported. Of admitted patients, the most common primary diagnosis was fracture (57, 55.9%). Over the study period, the proportion of patients requiring admission increased from 4.17% in 2011 to 12.92% in 2020. The proportion of total annual patients age 13-18 years increased from 19.17% in 2011 to 41.67% in 2020.

Conclusion: The incidence of pediatric e-scooter injury is increasing. Using admission requirement as a surrogate for injury severity, injuries are becoming more severe. These data can help guide clinicians and inform policymakers in addressing safe e-scooter practice for the pediatric population.