Social deprivation and adult blunt chest trauma: A retrospective study.

Abstract

The relationship between socioeconomic status and various components of health is well established. Research has also highlighted that social deprivation can affect patterns of injury and outcome after trauma. The interaction between outcomes following blunt chest trauma and socioeconomic status has received limited attention in trauma research. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic factors, mechanisms of injury and outcomes following blunt chest trauma using deprivation measures calculated on the basis of domicile postcodes. A retrospective study design was used in order to examine the medical notes of all blunt chest wall trauma patients who presented to the ED of a large regional trauma centre in South West Wales in 2012 and 2013. Baseline characteristics were presented as median and interquartile range or numbers and percentages. Differences between the baseline characteristics were analysed using Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were presented from the univariable analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors for the development of complications. Patients in the 'more deprived' group were more likely to be the victims of assault (p < 0.001) and were more likely to have an unplanned re-attendance at the Emergency Department than the patients in the 'less deprived' group (p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, social deprivation was not a risk factor for the development of complications, but it was a significant risk factor for prolonged length of stay (p < 0.05). This is the first study in which social deprivation has been investigated as a risk factor for complications following isolated blunt chest wall trauma. Residing in a 'more deprived' area in South West Wales is not associated with the development of complications following isolated blunt chest wall trauma.