Table 2.
Injury pattern characteristics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
| Characteristic | March–December 2019 (n = 341,242) |
March–December 2020 (n = 247,841) |
p value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISS, mean (SD) | 2.2 (2.6) | 2.4 (2.9) | < 0.001 |
| ISS categories, No. (%) | < 0.001 | ||
| 0 | 96,729 (29.0) | 67,673 (27.9) | |
| 1–8 (Mild) | 226,040 (67.8) | 164,827 (68.1) | |
| 9–15 (Moderate) | 9089 (2.7) | 8160 (3.4) | |
| 16–24 (Severe) | 872 (0.3) | 865 (0.4) | |
| ≥ 25 (Very severe) | 485 (0.2) | 486 (0.2) | |
| Intent, No. (%)a | < 0.001 | ||
| Unintentional | 152,587 (95.7) | 108,716 (96.2) | |
| Intentional self-harm | 1687 (1.1) | 1744 (1.5) | |
| Assault | 4630 (2.9) | 2197 (1.9) | |
| Undetermined intent | 392 (0.2) | 345 (0.3) | |
| Legal intervention | 82 (0.1) | 24 (0.1) | |
| PED disposition, No. (%) | < 0.001 | ||
| Discharge | 298,190 (87.4) | 210,777 (85.0) | |
| Admit | 36,759 (10.8) | 32,149 (13.0) | |
| Died | 87 (0.0) | 122 (0.1) | |
| Otherb/unknown | 6206 (1.8) | 4793 (1.9) | |
| Admitting unit, No. (%)c | < 0.001 | ||
| Ward | 26,176 (71.2) | 22,736 (70.7) | |
| Intensive care unit | 4059 (11.0) | 3831 (11.9) | |
| Operating room | 3537 (9.6) | 2679 (8.3) | |
| Psychiatry | 966 (2.6) | 833 (2.7) | |
| Burn | 522 (1.5) | 452 (1.4) | |
| Unknown | 1499 (4.1) | 1618 (5.0) | |
| Status, No. (%) | < 0.001 | ||
| Lived | 317,254 (93.0) | 229,510 (92.6) | |
| Died | 335 (0.1) | 327 (0.1) | |
| Unknown | 23,653 (6.9) | 18,004 (7.3) |
PED, Pediatric Emergency Department; ISS, Injury Severity Score
*Where the p value is listed on the title line of the characteristic, the p value is representative of a difference noted in the category
aAmong n = 272,404 with classifiable external cause codes
b“Other” includes transfer to another facility for psychiatric admission, transfer to another hospital, and left prior to formal discharge
cAmong n = 68,908 patients admitted to hospital