Potential predictors of hospital length of stay and hospital charges among patients with all-terrain vehicle injuries in rural Northeast Texas.

Anastasia Miller,Sharon Huff ,Harrison Ndetan,Jason Murry,Jeanie D Gallegly ,Jo Ann Peters ,Gabriela Orsak,Karan P Singh

doi:10.5249/jivr.v12i1.1219

Abstract

:Background:All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) have become popular for recreation use in recent years. Texas has had more ATV related fatalities than any other state in the nation, with rural Northeast Texas having even higher rates of injuries. There is limited data examining the relationship between ATV injuries and the length of hospital stay, as well as hospital costs. This paper examines both issues in children as well as adults. Methods:The regional trauma registry was analyzed for all ATV related injuries between January 2011- October 2016. Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Scale and if they are seen at a Level I Trauma center are predictive for both hospital length of stay and charges. Results:Length of Stay was predicted positively by Injury Severity Score, Emergency Department Respi-ration Rate and facility at which patients were treated and negatively by Glasgow Coma Scale. Hospital charges were predicted positively by age, Injury Severity Score, facility of treatment, means of transportation, and Emergency Department pulse and negatively by Glasgow Coma Scale. Conclusions:The study found that vital signs can be useful in predicting length of stay and hospital charges. This study not only confirms the findings of other studies regarding what predictors can be used, but expands the research into rural traumatic injuries. It is hoped that this data can help contribute to the development of algorithms to predict which patients will be most likely to require resource intensive treatment.

Highlights

Northeast Texas is a primarily rural region, approximately the size of West Virginia.[1]
Each unit increase in Injury Severity Score (ISS) was associated with an average increase of approximately 4.5% in hospital charges while a unit increase in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) resulted in a decrease of 6.3% in charges
The authors hope that this study can contribute to the creation of better models to predict a wide range of outcomes, not just length of stay or charges, in All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) injury patients

Summary

Introduction

Northeast Texas is a primarily rural region, approximately the size of West Virginia.[1]. There is limited data examining the relationship between ATV injuries and the length of hospital stay, as well as hospital costs. This paper examines both issues in children as well as adults. Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Scale and if they are seen at a Level I Trauma center are predictive for both hospital length of stay and charges. Results: Length of Stay was predicted positively by Injury Severity Score, Emergency Department Respiration Rate and facility at which patients were treated and negatively by Glasgow Coma Scale. Hospital charges were predicted positively by age, Injury Severity Score, facility of treatment, means of transportation, and Emergency Department pulse and negatively by Glasgow Coma Scale. It is hoped that this data can help contribute to the development of algorithms to predict which patients will be most likely to require resource intensive treatment

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Discussion

Conclusion