Traumatic brain injury: outcomes of a rural versus urban population over a 5 year period
Date
2005
Authors
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Narrator
Transcriber
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
Problem: The death rate from trauma in rural regions is disproportionately high compared to urban areas. In order to establish guidelines and quality assurance measures for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients in Hawaii, it is necessary to understand their characteristics and demographics. Methods: Data on TBI injuries in Hawaii from 1999-2004 was obtained from 2 separate data sources: The Queen's Medical Center Trauma Database and the administrative data of the largest insurer for the state of Hawaii. The sample was composed of those patients diagnosed with TBI treated at any hospital in the state of Hawaii. Mortality rates during hospitalization for patients transferred from rural areas were compared using chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis Results: There were 3447 patients treated at Queen's Medical Center and 1050 patients in the Insurance Company's database who were treated during the same interval. Our findings confirm that male gender, alcohol use and lack of protective I devices result in higher rates of head injury. Fatalities from TBI were highest in young adults and the elderly. Although rates of injury were higher in rural locations, mortality rates were not significantly different. Conclusions: TBI is a major cause hospitalization in Hawaii. The greatest potential to reduce morbidity and mortality would result if preventive strategies were aimed at the highest risk groups.
Description
Keywords
Brain--Wounds and injuries
Citation
Extent
Format
Geographic Location
Hawaii
Time Period
Related To
Theses for the degree of Master of Science (University of Hawaii at Manoa). Biomedical Sciences; no. 4012
Related To (URI)
Table of Contents
Rights
All UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Collections
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.