Trauma and psychiatric disorders: A systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Trauma care
• Psychiatric disorders
• Public health

Background:

• Suicide and psychiatric disorders are significant public health concerns.
• Patients with self-inflicted injuries have higher mortality rates than those with unintentional injuries.
• Impact of psychiatric disorders on healthcare resource utilization, like hospital stay, is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if trauma patients with psychiatric disorders or suicide attempts have a higher risk of complicated outcomes.
• To review literature on mortality, length of stay, costs, and quality of life in trauma patients with psychiatric comorbidity.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of PubMed, Embase, and PsycInfo databases up to March 2016.
• Methodological quality assessed using the QUIPS tool.
• Included 18 articles from an initial search of 9284.

Main Results:

• Three of four studies found a significantly higher risk of complications in trauma patients with psychiatric disorders.
• Seven of 14 studies indicated significantly higher in-hospital mortality for these patients.
• Eight of nine studies reported significantly prolonged length of stay.

Conclusions:

• Trauma patients with psychiatric disorders or a history of suicide attempts experience higher in-hospital mortality and extended hospital stays.
• These patients may also face a greater risk of complications following severe trauma.
• Further research is needed to confirm these implications for patient care and resource management.