Racial disparities in triage of adolescent patients after bullet injury

BACKGROUND While pediatric trauma centers (PTCs) and adult trauma centers (ATCs) exhibit equivalent trauma mortality, the optimal care environment for traumatically injured adolescents remains controversial. Race has been shown to effect triage within emergency departments (EDs) with people of color receiving lower acuity triage scores. We hypothesized that African-American adolescents were more likely triaged to an ATC than a PTC compared with their White peers. METHODS Institutional trauma databases from a neighboring, urban Level I PTC and ATC were queried for gunshot wounds in adolescents (15–18 years) presenting to the ED from 2015 to 2017. The PTC and ATC were compared in terms of demographics, services, and outcomes. Results were analyzed using univariate analysis and logistic regression. RESULTS Among 316 included adolescents, 184 were treated in an ATC versus 132 in a PTC. Patients at the PTC were significantly more likely to be younger (16.1 vs. 17.5 years; p
Source: The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: 2021 EAST QUICK SHOT Source Type: research