Geriatric trauma: A population-based study

Background: Geriatric trauma demands attention in aging societies. The trauma hospitalization rate gradually increases in elderly populations because they are more vulnerable to accidental injuries. High trauma admission rates among elderly groups led to further research about injury patterns and outcomes. We hope to understand more about the demographic patterns and mortality rate of geriatric trauma. Methods: Information about all injured in-hospital patients >= 64 years was retrieved from a claims dataset from 2007 to 2008 from the Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan. Statistical analyses were conducted on the population-based dataset to discover the incidence, mortality rate, percentage of chronic illness, and associations among variables such as age group, gender, injury mechanism, injury severity, and mortality. Results: A total of 134,024 patients (28.2% of total inpatients' admissions) >= 64 years were admitted in 2007 and 2008; 45.0% were male patients, and 43.9% were rural residents. These resulted in 4120 deaths. Nearly 40.0% of patients had at least one chronic illness. Diabetes mellitus was the most common comorbidity (20.2%). Injury was most commonly caused by falls on the same level, followed by motorcycle accidents. A higher mortality rate was observed in the subgroup with higher injury severity scores. Logistic regression showed that the mortality rate was significantly higher in subgroups comprising patients aged 75-84 and >84 years, with higher Charlson index, and with mechanisms such as pedestrians hit by vehides or falls from height. Conclusion: High trauma hospitalization rates among elderly people can be reduced. Choosing a target population for injury prevention policy is required to reduce the geriatric trauma hospitalization rate. A regionalized trauma system providing the elderly population with optimal trauma care is mandatory.