INTRODUCTION: Detailed understanding of the trauma incidence, injury characteristics and costs of injuries of all severities is needed to inform clinical quality improvement. This study examines these aspects among trauma admissions in the Te Manawa Taki (TMT) region of Aotearoa-New Zealand (AoNZ) over a 10 year period.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from the TMT trauma registry from 2013 to 2022, inclusive of all ages and Injury Severity Scores (ISS), is conducted. Severity is classified into low (ISS1-8), moderate (ISS 9-12) and high (ISS >12) and reports on incidence of injuries with regard to life stages, gender, ethnicity by severity and direct cost to TMT hospitals.
RESULTS: Study included 60,753 trauma events; 81.9% low severity, 10.2% moderate severity and 7.9% high severity trauma. The trend over the period has remained stable over the 10-year period with incremental increase in high severity and decrease in low severity. Males were more likely to be hospitalised irrespective of severity (p<.01).Māori are at higher risk of admission for low (p<.01) and high severity trauma (p<.05). High severity trauma is dominated by road traffic injuries and low severity trauma is dominated by falls. Advanced age was associated with higher injury severity. The direct cost of trauma care to TMT hospitals increased by 122% during the 10-year period.
CONCLUSIONS: Low and moderate severity trauma present a significant burden on the health system, individuals, and communities. Quality improvement and strategic interventions are need to track and address the non-major trauma to reduce trauma burden and improve patient outcomes.