Table 1 Methodological details and injury incidence of netball descriptive epidemiological studies using hospital records, clinic records and insurance claim databases

Purdam (1987) [34]

AUS

Prospective study: Data from physiotherapy dept at AIS

1986 10 m

Elite Netball and Basketball players at AIS. 20 Netball players, 105 inj

All injuries presented to physiotherapy dept for treatment. Severity: based on no. treatments. Recurrent inj: inj > 1 m from discharge

Rate: 5.25 inj/player/y

All

Hume (1993) [35]

NZ

Retrospective study: Data from HSS hosp morbidity data, Dunedin hospital A&E, ACC claims & Dunedin Sports injury clinic

1988–1992 1 y Clinic 1.7 y

Total population of Netball players in New Zealand, estimated to be 98, 680 in 1989–1990 age: 15 + y and children 5–15 y, 143 netball hospitalisations, age 5 + y

Any inj reported to hospital ED, ACC, sports injury clinic or recorded in health statistics. Severity: Abbreviated Injury Severity score, minor, moderate or severe

Netball hosp rate: 4.3/100,000 population/y 143/100,00 persons/y

All

Hume & Marshall (1994) [36]

NZ

Retrospective study: Data from HIS mortality data, Dunedin hospital A&E, ACC & Dunedin Sports injury clinic claims

1978–1990 1 y Mortality 10 y

Netball population: 155,592 netball participants, 139 hospitalisations, age 15 y + 

All injuries occurring in a place of recreation & sport, involving organised sporting activity or training for such presenting to hospital ED, ACC, sports injury clinic’ Severity: Abbreviated Injury Severity score, minor, moderate or severe

Netball hosp rate: 89.34/ 100,000 population

All

Finch et al. (1998) [37]

AUS

Retrospective study: Hospital ED data collated by NISU. Standardised form self-report, inj diagnosis and treatment completed by doctor

1989–1993 5 y

General population: 98,040 sports and active recreation participants presenting to ED’s. 2165 child (< 15 y), 3098 adults (≥ 15 y) netball presentations

All injuries presented to hospital ED. Severity: proxy measure, hosp admission after ED attendance

Proportion: Child netball inj 3.7%; adult netball inj 6.6% of all sport inj presentations

All

Love et al.(1998) [38]

NZ

Retrospective study: Data obtained from NZ ACC database of sport injury dental claims

1993–1996 4 y

General population: 260 netball claims. Age 0–75 + 

Any new and minor dental claims made during each year. New claims are those that paid the claimant. Minor claims paid the health professional but not the claimant

Rate: 260 netball dental claims/y

Dental

Hassan & Dorani (2001) [39]

UK

Prospective study: All sports-related fractures reported to A&E Dept in a district hosp in NE, ENG

1997–1998 1 y

General population: 1255 children with sport inj, 54 netball presentations Age 5–15 y

Any fracture while participating in sport that led to presentation at A&E. Severity: Injury Severity Score (ISS)

Proportion: 24% of A&E netball inj were fractures

All

Hon et al. (2001) [40]

MAL

Prospective study: All sports-related fractures presenting at Dept of Orthopaedic & Traumatology in a state hosp in W, MAL

1998–1999 1 y

General population: 113 patients presenting with fractures, 3 netball players. Age 7–59 y

All fractures sustained during sports activity presenting to Dept of Orthopaedic & Traumatology

Proportion: 2.7% of fractures in netball players

All

Cassell et al. (2003) [41]

AUS

Retrospective study: Data from hosp admissions (VAED dataset), hosp ED presentations (VISS) & GP presentations (ELVIS project) in area of a regional hosp in Victoria, AUS

1994–1995 1 y

General population: estimated 69,663 in study area. 2300 medically treated sports inj; netball 81ED, 67 GP Age 4 + y

All sporting injuries receiving medical treatment recorded by 3 injury surveillance systems. Severity: length of hosp stay Injury Classification: ICD

Proportion: ED 6.9%; GP 6.7% netball inj presentations

All

Chong & Tan (2004) [42]

SNG

Retrospective study: Data from medical records & telephone interviews of all ACL reconstructions from Dept Orthopaedic Surgery in E, SING

1999–2002 4 y

General population: 259 patients with ACL ligament reconstruction: 13 female patients, 4 netball players (3 school, 1 club). Age 13–38 y

All female ACL injuries requiring reconstruction

Proportion: 31% ACL inj to netball players

Knee

Otago & Peake (2007) [43]

AUS

Retrospective study: Accepted netball insurance claims in Victoria, AUS

1999 1 y

Total population of registered state netball players covered by insurance scheme: total 87,331. 829 insurance claims. Age 10 y + 

All inj resulting in accepted insurance claims Severity: cost of injury

Rate: 9.49 inj/1000 netball players

All

Smartt & Chalmers (2009) [44]

NZ

Retrospective study: Data from Netball inj hosp records, linked public hospital discharges, and ACC claim datasets

2000–2005 6 y

Estimated population of netball participants in New Zealand: 200,000 players, 1126 netball inj cases. Age 5 y + 

All netball inj cases recorded in hospital discharge datasets. Severity: Injury Severity score (ICISS) Injury Classification: ICD

Rate: 5/100,000 netball participants

All

Flood & Harrison (2009) [45]

AUS

Retrospective study: Netball and basketball inj resulting in hosp admission, data from National Hospital Morbidity Database

2000–2004 4 y

Netball and Basketball population estimates. 5090 basketball-related, 4596 netball-related hospital admission. Age 5–54, mean 26.3 ± 10.9 y

All netball and basketball patients discharged from a private or public hospital Injury Classification: ICD

Av annual hosp rates: Netball 1.4/1000 participants

All

Gianotti et al. (2009) [46]

NZ

Retrospective populationbased study: Knee ligament inj data from ACC records

2000–2005 5 y

General population of New Zealand: approximately 4.1 million people. 3997 sport-related inj: 746 netball. Age 0–85 y + 

Any personal knee ligament injury resulting in an ACC claim made at time of medical treatment

Proportion: 18.7% of all sport-related ACLS inj

Knee

Welch et al. (2010) [47]

NZ

Retrospective case series: Data on sports-related dental injuries from ACC records

1999–2008 10 y

General population of New Zealand: Active adults 2.7 million, 700,000 young people. 275,130 new claims. Age range 0 – 61 y + 

All new oralfacial ACC claims received in financial years 1999 to 2008

Proportion: netball 3.9% of all sport-related claims

Dental

Gwynne-Jones et al. (2011) [48]

NZ

Retrospective study: Data from ED, in-patient, surgical audit and physiotherapy dept records

1999–2008 8.5 y

General population: 363 patients. 285 sport-related inj, 88 netball players. Age 15–60 y

A complete, traumatic closed rupture of the Achilles tendon in hospital patients. Recurrent inj: re-ruptures

Proportion: netball 24% of inj

Achilles Tendon

Jansen et al. (2011) [49]

AUS

Retrospective study: ACLR data from National Hospital Morbidity Database

2003–2008 5 y

General population: 50,187 patients with ACLR. Annual netball ACLR 1085. Age 5–75 y + 

All ACLR in study period concerning the population Injury Classification: ICD

Annual ACL reconstruction rate: 188/100,000 participants

Knee

Fernando et al. (2018) [50]

AUS

Retrospective case series: Sport & recreation injuries presented to ED’s across 38 hosp in Victoria, AUS, data recorded in Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset

2012–2015 3 y

General population: 171,541 ED presentations, 5438 Netball. Age 5 y + 

All sports & recreation injuries reported to ED’s

Annual inj rate: 38.7/100,000 participants

All

Joseph et al. (2019) [51]

AUS

Retrospective study: Netball specific inj recorded in national insurance claim database over 1 season

2016 1 y

All players registered to play in Netball Australia organised competition receiving insurance cover. Total participants 413,800 players. 1215 netball inj claims. Mean age 34 ± 17 y

Any netball injury resulting from an accident during matches or training for an organized Netball Australia competition Injury Classification: OSIICS

Annual inj rate: 2.9 claims per 1000 participants

All

King et al. (2019) [52]

NZ

Retrospective study: Sport-related inj data from ACC. Inj claims from 5 sports, including netball

2012–2016 5 y

General population: 853,824 total claims. 11,757 total netball claims

Any injury assessed by a registered health practitioner as a result of sports participation. Severity: cost of injury

11,748 moderate-toserious inj claims; 9 serious inj claims

All

Kirkwood et al. (2019) [53]

UK

Retrospective ecological study: Sports injury data from ED data & in-patient data from 2 hosp in Oxfordshire, ENG

2012–2014 2 y + 2 m

General population: Children and adolescents attending hosp; 11,676 sports inj ED attendances. Age 0–19 y

Any sports-related inj attendances at AE depts. Injury Classification: ICD

157 netball injuries

All

Sutherland et al. (2019) [54]

NZ

Cross-sectional study: Sports injury ACLR data from ACC

2009–2016 8 y

General population: 20,751 male and female ACLRs. Netball 3088 claims. Mean age 29 ± 11 y

Any injuries involving claims made for primary ACLR

Proportion: netball 20% of sports-related ACLR claims

Knee

Belcher et al. (2020) [55]

NZ

Retrospective study: Audit of netball injury ACC claims

2008–2017 10 y

Total population of Netball New Zealand affiliated members. Age 10–24 y

New netball-related claims involving 4 treatments or more, or cost > $100NZD

Rate (10 y): Ankle 77.8/1000 players, Knee 71.6/1000 players

Ankle & Knee

Chan et al. (2021) [56]

SING

Retrospective study: ACLR data from electronic medical records & registry data of tertiary public hospital in SING

2013–2016 3 y + 6 m

General Asian population: 696 male and female patients, 21 netball inj Mean age 25.7 ± 7.2 y

All ACL injuries involving primary ACLR, on ACLR registry

Proportion: netball injuries 4.3% of all ACLR patients

Knee

Mitchell et al. (2021) [57]

UK

Cross-sectional study: Acute sports-related inj presented to fracture clinic at Peterborough city hospital, ENG

2018–2019 1 y

General population of school age children, 54 netball inj. Age 6–18 y

All sports-related inj in school age children, reporting to fracture clinic. Severity: surgical treatment equals severe injury

Proportion: 2% required surgery, 11% required physiotherapy

All

Brimm et al. (2023) [58]

AUS

Retrospective study: Sports-related hosp in Queensland, AUS

2012 – 2016 5 y

General population: 76,982 hosp. Netball 1150 hosp. Age: children ≤ 14 y to older adults ≥ 65 y

Any patients with sports & leisure-related inj admitted to public and private hospitals. Injury Classification: ICD

Rate: Total 4.9/100,000 Females: 8.8/100,000 Males: 111, 0.9/100,000

All