Substance Abuse and Rural Appalachian Pediatric Trauma in West Virginia

Introduction. Rural Appalachia is endemic to issues such as substance abuse, poverty, and lack of community support, all of which negatively influence health outcomes. The incidence of pediatric trauma as it relates to substance abuse is of concern in the region, where the rate of positive drug scre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of pediatrics 2022-06, Vol.2022, p.1-5
Main Authors: Rawson, Joshua, Thevenin, Lindsey, Balko, Isabella, Seifarth, Federico, Meltzer, Hal, Dhumak, Vipul, Bush, Amy, Kimble, Wesley, Wen, Sijin, Ellison, Pavithra
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Introduction. Rural Appalachia is endemic to issues such as substance abuse, poverty, and lack of community support, all of which negatively influence health outcomes. The incidence of pediatric trauma as it relates to substance abuse is of concern in the region, where the rate of positive drug screens in pediatric trauma cases is higher than national average. Methods. The West Virginia statewide pediatric trauma database was analyzed in a retrospective cohort study for the years 2009-2019. Variables of interest included injury severity (assessed using Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS)), drug screening results, and various measures of patient outcome. Results. The sample was divided into 2009-2016 presentations (n=3,356) and 2017-2019 presentations (n=1,182). Incidence of critical (AIS 5) head injuries (p=0.007) and serious (AIS 3) neck injuries (p=0.001) increased as time progressed. Days requiring ventilation increased from 3.1 in 2009–2016 to 6.3 in 2017–2019 (p
ISSN:1687-9740
1687-9759
DOI:10.1155/2022/4906812