Citation

Nunez Lopez O, Hughes BD, Adhikari D, Williams K, Radhakrishnan RS, Bowen-Jallow KA. Am. J. Surg. 2018; 215(6): 1037-1041.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States. Electronic address: kabowen@utmb.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amjsurg.2018.05.009

PMID

29779843

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injuries account for 18% of child abuse cases and 1680 children die from abuse annually. We set out to determine the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on resource utilization and outcomes in nonaccidental trauma (NAT).

METHODS: We used the Kid's Inpatient Database to identify children with two main subgroups of child abuse diagnoses: NAT and other forms of child abuse. Income was represented by quartiles. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and regression analyses.

RESULTS: We identified 5617 children requiring hospital admission due to NAT. Medicaid insurance payer status was associated with higher rates of traumatic injuries than private insurance. Black race, male sex, and high-income-quartile were independent factors associated with increased cost. We identified an increased risk of mortality in younger children and those with self-pay/uninsured status.

CONCLUSION: NAT represents a prevalent cause of childhood mortality. This study identifies sociodemographic factors associated with increased occurrence, higher resource utilization, and increased mortality in NAT.

Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

Child abuse; Child maltreatment; Non-accidental trauma; Pediatric trauma; Resource utilization; Traumatic injuries; Treatment cost