The one benefit to a cashless society? Children are swallowing less coins
The move towards a cashless society has seen a drop in children needing surgery to remove objects they have swallowed or stuck up their noses, research suggests.
The move towards a cashless society has seen a drop in children needing surgery to remove objects they have swallowed or stuck up their noses, research suggests.
Far fewer children now need hospital procedures to remove objects from throats, noses and airways, as per figures in The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Contactless payments were first introduced in the UK in 2007 and cash use significantly declined from 2012, researchers said in the journal.
Their study incorporated that period, looking at English hospital data from 2000 to 2022 on objects removed from children aged up to 14.
From 2012, when cash became less popular, they found a significant decline in foreign bodies removed from the digestive tract, respiratory tract and nasal cavity.
And between 2012 to 2022, there was a 29 per cent drop in annual cases, with numbers falling from 2,405 to 1,716 across the ten-year period.
Akash Jangan, lead author of the study and ear, nose and throat registrar, said: Our research shows that using cashless payment methods instead of coins has potentially helped keep children safe and reduced the need for surgery.
Coins were previously involved in more than 75 per cent of swallowed foreign bodies in children under six, the study noted.
The move towards a cashless society has seen a drop in children needing surgery to remove objects they have swallowed or stuck up their noses, research suggests. Pictured: File photo
The number of digestive tract operations performed each year fell by 195 between 2012 and 2022, from 708 to 513.
And there were fewer nasal cavity operations being undertaken each year by the end of that decade, decreasing by 484, from 1,565 to 1,801.
Respiratory tract procedures saw a decline during the same period too, falling by ten from 132 to 122.
Dr Jangan said: This unintended finding proves that changes in how we live can make a difference to peoples health.
It also means healthcare resources can be allocated to helping patients in other ways.
Removing foreign bodies costs around £2.8million a year, researchers noted - and in the past, coins have been one of the most common objects involved, they added.
They are frequently ingested because of their thin, round shape and easy accessibility, they explained, in the research first published last year.
Other factors may have helped cut the number of children ingesting objects, they noted, like improved child-proof packaging and better awareness among parents.
Earlier this week, it was revealed a baby from Northamptonshire (pictured) accidentally swallowed magnets from a toy and almost died from an operation to remove them
But they said parents must still be cautious of all hazards, including button batteries and magnets, which can be lethal.
Consultant surgeon Ram Moorthy, from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: It is positive that fewer children are swallowing coins.
This study shows how new technology can make children safer in ways we didnt intend, but there are still hazardous items to be aware of.
As doctors, we still worry about other dangerous items, such as button batteries and magnets, that can really cause harm.
We must continue to make sure that small items like this are not within a childs reach.
It comes amid widespread fears about a frightening social media craze which can burn holes in childrens bowels and leave them dependent on stoma bags.
Concerns have been raised about the online trend which sees youngsters film themselves and pretend they have facial piercings using magnets.
They put one on the inside of their cheek and another on the outside to create a pierced look, before ingesting them.
Medics had to remove part of one-year-old Araya Whateleys (pictured) bowel during seven-hour emergency surgery - and the tot now has a stoma bag
It prompted a coroner to warn about the dangers following the death of eight-year-old Rhys Millum, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, who swallowed ten magnets.
Earlier this week, it was revealed a baby from Northamptonshire accidentally swallowed magnets from a toy and almost died from an operation to remove them.
Medics had to remove part of one-year-old Araya Whateleys bowel during seven-hour emergency surgery - and the tot now has a stoma bag.
The magnetic beads belonged to Arayas nine-year-old sister Isla who had received them from a classmate in a school swapsie.