title: Injuries in Swedish floorball: a cost analysis.
abstract: The epidemiology of sport injuries is well documented. However, the costs are rarely discussed. Previous studies have presented such costs in specific sports or localization. No study has investigated the costs related to injuries in elite floorball. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate cost of injuries in Swedish elite floorball players. During 1 year, 346 floorball players were prospectively followed. All time-loss injures were recorded. The injured players were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their costs tied to the injury. Mean costs were calculated by multiplying the total resource use with the collected unit costs and dividing these total costs with the number of injuries as well as players. The results showed that the average cost per injury increased with the level of severity and ranged from 332 to 2358 Euros. The mild and moderate overuse injuries were costlier than the corresponding traumatic injuries. However, the severe traumatic injuries were associated with higher costs than overuse injuries. Knee injuries were the costliest. Our results indicate that there are costs to be saved, if floorball injuries can be avoided. They should be of interest to decision makers deciding whether to invest in preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tranaeus
authors.affiliation: Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, Stockholm, Sweden.|Center for Medical Technology Assessment, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heintz
authors.affiliation: Center of Research on Welfare, Health and Sport, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forssblad
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Werner
mesh_terms: D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006688:Hockey / Q000191:economics* / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Athletic injury; cost of illness; health economy; overuse injury; traumatic injury