An Epidemiological Study of Cell Phone-Related Injuries of the Hand and Wrist Reported in United States Emergency Departments From 2011 to 2020

PURPOSE: Increasing ownership and use of mobile phones has been recently linked to reports of hand and wrist pain from overuse, as well as more serious injuries related to distracted behaviors, such as falls and texting while driving. We describe the epidemiology of hand and wrist injuries presenting to US emergency departments from 2011 to 2020, which were associated with cell phone use using the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was queried for treatment records from 2011 through to 2020 for all cell phone-related injuries of the lower arm, wrist, hand, and fingers. Using parameters provided by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, there were 1,213 unique cases, yielding a total weighted estimate of 50,487 national cases presenting to emergency departments in the United States. RESULTS: Between 2011 and 2020, the weighted estimate of annual cell phone-related injuries ranged from 3,389 to 7,320 cases. Falls were the most common cause of injury, accounting for 29.8% of estimated cases. The most common types of injuries were lacerations (22.3%). The national estimate of cell phone-related injury was the highest in the age range of 11–20 years (26.4%), followed by 21–30 years (22.2%). Women were affected more frequently than men (59.6% vs 40.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Upper extremity injuries related to cell phone use represent an increasing burden of disease to the US healthcare system. Raising awareness regarding cell phone-related injuries and in-home fall-prevention strategies, especially among elderly individuals, should be considered as means of decreasing the number of such injuries. Strategies for decreasing the burden of cell phone−related injuries occurring as a result of falls among teenagers and young adults should focus on minimizing distractions while using a cell phone. Limitations of the study include inaccuracies related to probability-weighted case estimation and limitations in reporting injuries. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Knowledge of the burden of upper extremities injuries associated with this common handheld device can help to both raise awareness of this issue, as well as to potentially inform injury-prevention strategies.