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Citation
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Jarman MP, Hashmi ZG, Zerhouni Y, Udyavar R, Newgard C, Salim A, Haider AH. J. Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019; 87(1): 173-180. |
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Affiliation
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Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Surgery, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco East-Bay Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Few studies of trauma care access and quality account for prehospital injury mortality. Little is known about geographic variation in prehospital mortality or the impact of prehospital care on injury disparities.
METHODS: Using the Centers for Disease Control Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database, we queried county-level incidence of prehospital injury mortality from 1999-2016. We linked mortality incidence with county-level urban-rural classifications from the National Center for Health Statistics and population data from the US Census Bureau. We used negative binomial regression to estimate the relationship between rurality and prehospital injury mortality, adjusting for county-level distribution of race, gender, age, income, and insurance coverage. Models were then stratified by injury mechanism (motor vehicle traffic versus penetrating) to determine if prehospital mortality rates varied by type of injury.
RESULTS: Prehospital injury mortality rates were elevated for all urban-rural county classes, relative to large central metro counties, with incidence rate ratios (IRR) ranging from 1.25 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.35) for fringe metro counties to 1.69 (95% CI: 1.58, 1.82) for non-core counties. For motor vehicle traffic injury, IRRs for urban-rural classes compared to large central metro counties ranged from 2.02 (95% CI: 1.85, 2.21) for fringe metro counties to 3.02 (95% CI: 2.76, 3.30) to no-core counties. Incidence of prehospital mortality from penetrating injury was 14% higher for non-core counties compared to large central metro counties (IRR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.23).
CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial geographic variation in prehospital injury mortality in the US, with risk of prehospital death increasing with rurality. Patterns of prehospital death associated with penetrating and MVT injuries suggest that improvements to both trauma center access, prehospital care, and primary injury prevention are essential to reduce preventable injury deaths. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective ecological analysis.
Language: en |