Faculty Collaboration Database

Medical injuries among hospitalized children. Qual Saf Health Care 2006 Jun;15(3):202-7

Date

06/06/2006

Pubmed ID

16751471

Pubmed Central ID

PMC2464854

DOI

10.1136/qshc.2005.015412

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-33745184634 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   16 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Inpatient medical injuries among children are common and result in a longer stay in hospital and increased hospital charges. However, previous studies have used screening criteria that focus on inpatient occurrences only rather than on injuries that also occur in ambulatory or community settings leading to hospital admission.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and outcomes of medical injuries among children hospitalized in Wisconsin using the Wisconsin Medical Injury Prevention Program (WMIPP) screening criteria.

METHODS: Cross sectional analysis of discharge records of 318,785 children from 134 hospitals in Wisconsin between 2000 and 2002.

RESULTS: The WMIPP criteria identified 3.4% of discharges as having one or more medical injuries: 1.5% due to medications, 1.3% to procedures, and 0.9% to devices, implants and grafts. After adjusting for the All Patient Refined-Diagnosis Related Groups disease category, illness severity, mortality risk, and clustering within hospitals, the mean length of stay (LOS) was a half day (12%) longer for patients with medical injuries than for those without injuries. The similarly adjusted mean total hospital charges were 1614 dollars (26%) higher for the group with medical injuries. Excess LOS and charges were greatest for injuries due to genitourinary devices/implants, vascular devices, and infections/inflammation after procedures.

CONCLUSIONS: This study reinforces previous national findings up to 2000 using Wisconsin data to the end of 2002. The results suggest that hospitals and pediatricians should focus clinical improvement on medications, procedures, and devices frequently associated with medical injuries and use medical injury surveillance to track medical injury rates in children.

Author List

Meurer JR, Yang H, Guse CE, Scanlon MC, Layde PM, Wisconsin Medical Injury Prevention Program Research Group

Authors

John R. Meurer MD, MBA Institute Director, Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Matthew C. Scanlon MD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnosis-Related Groups
Female
Hospitals, General
Humans
Iatrogenic Disease
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Injury Severity Score
Length of Stay
Male
Patient Discharge
Prostheses and Implants
Radiation Injuries
Safety
United States
United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Wisconsin
Wounds and Injuries