Abstract
This paper examines the epidemiology of nonfatal firearm violence (NFFV) on the Westside of Chicago over three finite time periods: 2005–2008, 2009–2012, and 2013–2016. The trend analysis will look at any significant changes over the time periods and describe the demographic characteristics of NFFV. A descriptive analysis of Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) Emergency Department (ED) data was conducted. NFFV patients were identified by specific firearm ICD-9 primary eCode injury categories: accident, assault, legal intervention, undetermined intent, suicide or self-inflicted injury, and legal intervention. The Pearson Chi-square test was conducted to statistically compare the categorical frequencies of the Chicago metropolitan region of injury, cause of firearm related injury, and place of injury by time period. There were a total of 3962 nonfatal hospitalizations at MSH between the three time periods due to gun violence related injuries. Overall, nonfatal hospitalizations were most frequent for those between age groups 16–24 (52.5%). The number of nonfatal hospitalizations decreased with increasing age for the age groups 35–44 (9.7%), 45–54 (3.2%), and > 54 (1.2%). There were significantly more nonfatal hospitalizations in males (n = 3649) than females (n = 312) across the three time periods. However, there was a 74.7% increase in female nonfatal hospitalizations from 2009–2012 to 2013–2016. There were significant racial differences in nonfatal hospitalizations between the three time periods. NFFV continues to be problem on the Westside of Chicago, particularly for young, Black men. The incidence of gun violence however has not changed significantly between 2005 and 2016.
Highlights
The frequency and impact of firearm injury makes it an important public health problem
To develop a descriptive analysis of nonfatal firearm violence (NFFV) in Chicago, we conducted a secondary analysis of hospital patient data that was extracted from the Illinois Department of Public Health Trauma Registry (IDPHTR)
The results provide a descriptive analysis of NFFV patients presenting to the Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) Emergency Department (ED) during three unique time periods over the course of 14 years
Summary
The frequency and impact of firearm injury makes it an important public health problem. While much of the public narrative centers on firearm fatalities, the number of nonfatal firearm injuries far exceeds fatalies. Between 2001 and 2013, there were approximately 921,613 nonfatal firearm injuries rates in the United States as compared with 406,946 fatal firearm injuries [13]. The majority of firearm violence victims are not fatally injured, and about 80% of those injured are hospitalized [14]. Hospitals are critical to the firearm violence narrative, as their EDs and inpatient units see the majority of firearm violence victims. NFFV injuries cause significant burden on individuals. Those who have been hospitalized for a firearm injury may have to spend additional time in a rehabilitation facility as well as endure substantial morbidity and poor quality of life long after discharge
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