Aim
To describe the effect that Crate Day has on volume of upper limb injuries in the Auckland region, as well as demand placed on operative time in the Middlemore Hospital Plastic and Hand Surgery Department.
Methods
We reviewed volumes of ACC claims placed for upper limb injuries sustained in Auckland on Crate Day weekends from 2014 to 2023. These were compared to claims from abutting weekends resulting in analysis of 30 weekends. The data provided by ACC include all injuries to the upper limb. Demographic data included gender and age.
We audited operative minutes utilised by Middlemore's acute Plastic and Hand Surgery teams over the same weekends, to identify trends in volumes of work created by Crate Day compared to reference weekends.
Results
There were 16,216 hand injury and 11,062 arm injury ACC claims in Auckland over the 30 weekends that we reviewed.
Non-Crate Day weekends averaged 3,729 upper limb injury claims compared to 4,106 claims over Crate Day weekends.
Males have a preponderance to injuries compared to females in age-matched groups. In particular, males on average have 64.7 hand fracture claims compared to females with 35.7 hand fracture claims on Crate Day. On abutting weekends, males had 52.4 hand fracture claims compared to 32.5 hand fracture claims from females. Further statistical analysis to follow.
Conclusion
There is a clear association between Crate Day weekends and upper limb injury claims. The Middlemore Hospital Plastic and Hand Surgery Department manages a large majority of complex hand and forearm injuries from the Auckland region. Further demand on the acute upper limb trauma has significant downstream effects, drawing resources away from other patients on elective operating lists.
Anticipating Crate Day increases in volumes of injuries and their nature may assist in resource allocation during affected weekends and adjacent days.