The effect of a celebrity death on children's injury-related emergency department visits

Abstract

Background Following a skiing-related head injury death of the actor Natasha Richardson, we noted a marked increase in injury-related visits to the Emergency Department (ED) of the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH). We assumed these visits were driven by media coverage, which would be greater in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada. Methods Using data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), we compared visits to the MCH-ED for 10 weeks beginning in March. We also compared visits for the event week with the averages for the same week in the preceding 16 years. We noted the percent of MCH-ED visits that were for head injuries. Finally, we examined the same 10-week patterns for children's hospitals in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Results We found a 60% increase at the MCH for the event week compared with the fi rst week of March and 66% increase compared to the 16-year average. We noted that for the event week 43.7% of injury visits were for head injuries compared with 28.8% (16-years average). There was, however, no change in ratio of severe head injuries. The increase in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver was 24%, 23% and 22% respectively over the fi rst week of March. Interpretation These data suggest that the media coverage of this celebrity death which involved a failure to seek medical attention, generated anxiety among parents, prompting them to bring children to the ED who might not otherwise have sought medical care.

Impact of a Ski Helmet Mandatory on Helmet Use on Austrian Ski Slopes

“…During the weeks following the death of actor Natasha Richardson, a 60% increase in emergency room visits at the Montreals Children's Hospital was found in a study by Keays and Pless. 7 These authors concluded that the media coverage of this celebrity death may have generated anxiety among parents, prompting those who might not otherwise have sought medical care to bring their children to the emergency room. 7 The increase in helmet use in people older than 15 years by 12% and by 18% in provinces with and without helmet mandatory, respectively, might partly be due to the fact that parents using ski helmets are role models for their children.…”

“…7 These authors concluded that the media coverage of this celebrity death may have generated anxiety among parents, prompting those who might not otherwise have sought medical care to bring their children to the emergency room. 7 The increase in helmet use in people older than 15 years by 12% and by 18% in provinces with and without helmet mandatory, respectively, might partly be due to the fact that parents using ski helmets are role models for their children. Jung et al 6 reported that children whose parents used ski helmets themselves wore significantly more frequently ski helmets than children whose parents did not wear a helmet.…”

“…2,3,5 In the winter season 2008/2009, a broad discussion about a ski helmet use arose after few fatal skiing involving celebrities in Europe and North America. 3,6,7 In Austria, a collision between a German politician and a mother of four children occurred on a ski slope at the New Years Day 2009. The politician wearing a ski helmet survived suffering from traumatic brain injury, whereas the woman not wearing a helmet died.…”

Which Management Strategy Do Parents Prefer for Their Head-Injured Child

“…We are unable to measure what effect this might have had on the responses of the parents in our sample, but it conceivably may have influenced some parents to prefer immediate CT scanning who might not have otherwise. 22 Perhaps the fact that nearly half of parents who stated a preference for immediate CT scanning selected ''I know someone who had bleeding in their brain after a head injury'' as their third most important reason for their preference reflects, in part, this phenomenon.…”

The effect of a terrorist attack on emergency department inflow: an observation study using difference-in-differences methodology

“…In addition, media plays a role in affecting the longer-term inflow. Previous studies have found that media coverage of adverse events influences healthcare related behavior, leading to more people seeking care when the media coverage is intense [9, 10]. However, there is little research investigating how ED inflow is affected in the following weeks after a terrorist attack.…”