Olakunle Oreoluwa E, Bakdash Leen, Chai Nita, Amedi Alan, Ahuja Avni, Moran Timothy, Loan Philip, Smith Randi N, Yaffee Anna, Zeidan Amy
Doctor of Medicine Program Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta Georgia USA.
Department of Emergency Medicine Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta Georgia USA.
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2024 Jun 5;5(3):e13205. doi: 10.1002/emp2.13205. eCollection 2024 Jun.
Injury-related visits constitute a sizeable portion of emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Individuals with language other than English (LOE) preference face barriers to healthcare and visits for traumatic injury may be the first point of contact with the healthcare system. Yet, the prevalence of traumatic injuries in this population is relatively unknown. Our objective was to characterize the prevalence and purpose of trauma encounters, and healthcare utilization, among a LOE cohort.
We conducted a retrospective chart review of LOE patients who presented for a trauma encounter at a level 1 trauma and emergency care center between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021. LOE participants were identified by utilization of video-based language interpretive services. Variables evaluated included injury patterns and primary and subspeciality healthcare utilization. Quantitative analysis of categorical and continuous variables was performed.
A total of 429 patients were included. Most patients presented for one trauma encounter and the majority spoke Spanish. The most common causes of injury were motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) (28.5%, = 129), ground-level falls (15.9%, = 72), and falls from heights (14.2%, = 64). Occupational injuries made up 27.2% of trauma encounters ( = 123) and only 12.6% ( = 54) of patients had a primary care visit.
Our findings highlight the need for increased research and attention to all causes of injury, especially MVCs and occupational injuries, among those with LOE preference. Results reaffirm an underutilization of healthcare among this population and the opportunity for trauma encounters as points of access to care.
在美国，与损伤相关的就诊占急诊室（ED）就诊的很大一部分。偏好使用英语以外语言（LOE）的个体在获得医疗保健方面面临障碍，而因创伤性损伤就诊可能是他们与医疗系统的首次接触点。然而，这一人群中创伤性损伤的患病率相对未知。我们的目的是描述LOE队列中创伤就诊的患病率、目的以及医疗保健利用情况。
我们对2019年1月1日至2021年12月31日期间在一级创伤和急诊护理中心因创伤就诊的LOE患者进行了回顾性病历审查。通过使用基于视频的语言口译服务来识别LOE参与者。评估的变量包括损伤模式以及初级和专科医疗保健利用情况。对分类变量和连续变量进行了定量分析。
共纳入429例患者。大多数患者因一次创伤就诊，且大多数讲西班牙语。最常见的损伤原因是机动车碰撞（MVCs）（28.5%，n = 129）、平地跌倒（15.9%，n = 72）和高处坠落（14.2%，n = 64）。职业损伤占创伤就诊的27.2%（n = 123），只有12.6%（n = 54）的患者进行了初级保健就诊。
我们的研究结果强调，对于偏好使用LOE的人群，需要加强对所有损伤原因的研究和关注，尤其是MVCs和职业损伤。结果再次证实了这一人群医疗保健利用不足的情况，以及创伤就诊作为获得医疗服务途径的机会。
