Factors influencing admission among children with a traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among children in Maryland and to examine factors that influence hospital admission.

METHODS

Statewide mortality, hospital discharge, and ambulatory care data were used to identify all TBI-related emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths that occurred in 1998 to children aged 0-19 years according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's standard case definition and protocol. Inpatient admission was modeled as a function of patient, injury, and hospital characteristics.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of pediatric TBI (i.e., ED visits, hospitalizations, and deaths) in 1998 was 670/100,000. After controlling for injury severity and other factors, uninsured children were 40% less likely to be hospitalized (95% CI = 0.43 to 0.82) and children with Medicaid were 90% more likely to be hospitalized (95% CI = 1.42 to 2.54) than were those with private insurance. The presence of a major associated injury significantly influenced the likelihood of hospitalization, especially among children with a minor (OR = 8.8) to moderate (OR = 11.6) TBI. Children who presented to a trauma center hospital were significantly more likely to be hospitalized than children treated at a non-trauma center hospital, although this varied depending on income (OR = 1.8 for high versus low) and hospital volume (OR = 2.6 for a small hospital and OR = 29.0 for a large hospital).

CONCLUSIONS

After adjusting for TBI severity and the presence of associated injuries, significant differences in hospitalization rates may exist among different patient subgroups and hospitals for children who sustain TBIs.