Utilizing Frequency and Severity of Injury to Identify Injury Prevention Priorities in the Community

Trauma centers are charged with identifying injury prevention priorities in the community. Hospitals frequently use system and regional injury data based on frequency of injury mechanisms to establish injury prevention priorities.

This study was conducted to provide insight into how the Injury Prevention Priority Score (IPPS) can be utilized to prioritize injury prevention activities with considerations of both frequency and severity of injury.

This descriptive study utilizes a retrospective review of 6,824 patients 15 years and older at one Level I trauma center between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2019. A previously described and validated IPPS was calculated for injury mechanisms to compare the overall trauma burden for each cause. The IPPS is presented as a T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.

In this sample, most injuries (57.1%) occur to those 65 years or older, and the most common injuries are from a fall (66.5%) or were from a motor vehicle occupant (13.3%). The fall group had an average severity of injury, but the frequency was five times higher than the next highest group. The pedestrian and firearm groups had the highest severity, and their IPPSs were the second and third highest.

Injury priorities should not be based on frequency of injury alone. Use of the IPPS provides additional objective data regarding injury prevention priorities in the community. The IPPS has most commonly been used to evaluate pediatric injury prevention needs but effectively evaluates injury prevention needs throughout the lifespan.