Falls are sending more Australians to hospital than ever before, most of them older people.
But fewer are ending up in hospital for poisoning and drowning.
A new study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says hospitalisation for injury from falls exceed those from vehicle accidents.
The report on trends in hospitalised injury for the period 1999-00 to 2012-13 examines injuries requiring hospital treatment. Cases rose from 327,000 in 1999-00 to 447,000 in 2012-13.
AIHW spokesman Professor James Harrison said that was an increase of about one per cent a year.
Through the survey period, falls increased about two per cent a year and were the most common cause of injury hospitalisation in 2012-13, accounting for 40 per cent of injury-related admissions. That was followed by transport crashes (12 per cent).
Over 170,000 people were hospitalised as a result of a fall, more than half people over 65, a majority women.
Overall, injuries were more common among men (250,440 cases) than women (196,233 cases).
"However, above the age of 64 years, this reversed, with injury rates higher among women than men," Professor Harrison said in a statement.
The average hospital stay was four days, equating to more than 1.7 million days in 2012-13. Length of stay increased with age to an average of seven days for those 65 and over.
About 16 per cent of injury cases were considered a high threat to life. For those aged 65 or over, that increased to 29 per cent.
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