Saturday Night Fever: Interpersonal Violence as a Reason for Presentation in a University Emergency Department

Jason-Alexander Hörauf (), Jan-Niklas Franz, Julian Zabel, Frederik Hartmann, Philipp Störmann, Ingo Marzi, Maren Janko and René D. Verboket
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Jason-Alexander Hörauf: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Jan-Niklas Franz: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Julian Zabel: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Frederik Hartmann: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Philipp Störmann: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Ingo Marzi: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Maren Janko: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
René D. Verboket: Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe—University Frankfurt am Main, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Presentations to a trauma emergency department following a violent confrontation account for a relevant proportion of the overall population. To date, violence (against women) in the domestic setting has been studied in particular. However, representative demographic and preclinical/clinical data outside of this specific subgroup on interpersonal violence are limited; (2) Patient admission records were searched for the occurrence of violent acts between 1 January and 31 December 2019. A total of 290 patients out of over 9000 patients were retrospectively included in the “violence group” (VG). A “typical” traumatologic cohort (presentation due to, among other things, sport-related trauma, falls, or traffic accidents) who had presented during the same period served as comparison group. Then, differences in the type of presentation (pedestrian, ambulance, or trauma room), time of presentation (day of week, time of day), diagnostic (imaging) and therapeutic (wound care, surgery, inpatient admission) measures performed, and discharge diagnosis were examined; (3) A large proportion of the VG were male, and half of the patients were under the influence of alcohol. Significantly more patients in the VG presented via the ambulance service or trauma room and during the weekend and the night. Computed tomography was performed significantly more often in the VG. Surgical wound care in the VG was required significantly more often, with injuries to the head being the most common; (4) The VG represents a relevant cost factor for the healthcare system. Because of the frequent head injuries with concomitant alcohol intoxication, all mental status abnormalities should be attributed to brain injury rather than alcohol intoxication until proven otherwise, to ensure the best possible clinical outcome.

Keywords: interpersonal violence; emergency department; alcohol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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