Environmental and temporal factors affecting pediatric orthopaedic injuries

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Pediatric orthopaedic injuries (POI) exhibit variability potentially linked to temporal and environmental factors.
• Understanding these influences can optimize resource allocation in pediatric emergency departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between environmental and temporal variables and the incidence of pediatric orthopaedic injuries.
• To identify key factors influencing POI rates for improved emergency care management.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 6770 POI cases at a level 1 pediatric emergency department over three years.
• Analysis of environmental data (temperature, precipitation, lunar phase) and temporal data (day of week, month, season).
• Application of multiple logistic regression to determine significant influencing factors.

Main Results:

• No significant effect of day of the week or lunar phase on POI rates.
• A slight decrease in POI rates associated with precipitation.
• Temperature demonstrated a significant impact, with the highest POI rates observed between 70°F and 79°F.
• Winter months (November-February) showed the lowest POI rates, while May had the highest.

Conclusions:

• Temperature and season are significant predictors of pediatric orthopaedic injury incidence.
• Optimal temperature ranges (70°F-79°F) correlate with increased POI, suggesting environmental conditions influence injury risk.
• Seasonal variations in POI necessitate adaptive staffing and resource planning in pediatric emergency settings.