| - Project summary: The aim of EUROCOST is to enhance the effective use of current European (EHLASS) and national injury surveillance systems for policy decision making, by adding monitoring information on the medical costs of injury in the European Union. Its specific objectives are (1) to collect, analyze and harmonize data on injury incidence and related health care consumption and costs, and (2) to estimate the medical costs of injury, and of home and leisure accidents (HLA) in particular, in each participating country using a uniform methodology (the Dutch injury cost model), and to explore the possibilities for the assessment of international differences in the medical costs of injury in relation to the underlying variation in demography, epidemiology and health service organization between countries. - Progress: The availability of data on injury incidence and related health care consumption has been investigated, and existing data registers have been systematically described. Data on injury incidence (EHLASS data sets and hospital discharge registers) and health care consumption (length of hospital stay, etc.) have been collected and explored, and a first assessment has been made of their validity and comparability. A modular approach has been chosen, by which a minimum data set and modules have been defined for injury incidence and health care consumption. A report containing the results has been written. In June 2002 the second phase starts, and the remaining elements of the project will be executed. |
