Road deaths relating to the attendance of medical appointments in Queensland.

Conclusion Fatal risk is present in any road journey regardless of distance, duration or the purpose of travel. Individuals living in regional and remote Queensland are exposed to a larger risk than those living in the major cities of Queensland when travelling to obtain public health care.What is already known on this subject? Road safety remains one of Australia's most serious public health issues, with 1295 road-related fatalities recorded throughout Australia in 2016. Although the potential dangers of road travel are well understood, extended journeys by road to attend hospital appointments are often undertaken despite available alternatives to travel in some instances.What this paper adds? Travelling to attend medical appointments exposes a patient to a small but potentially catastrophic risk that can be observed in state road crash data. This risk is measurably greater for individuals in regional Queensland.What are the implications for practitioners? Clinical models of care that reduce patient travel may represent a new standard in patient safety when of the risks associated travel are considered. PMID: 30526798 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research