Dataset Information

Incidence, Distribution, and Lethality of Firearm Injuries in California From 2005 to 2015.

ABSTRACT: Importance:Little is known about nonfatal firearm injuries in the United States, and national estimates based on emergency department samples may not be accurate. Objective:To describe the incidence and distribution of nonfatal firearm injuries and estimate case fatality ratios (CFRs) for firearm injuries by external cause of injury code within California overall and by race/ethnicity, including an assessment of trends over time and geographic variation within the state. Design, Setting, and Participants:This serial cross-sectional study used complete statewide data for firearm-related mortality, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations among California residents from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2015, to analyze incidence, distribution, and CFRs of firearm injury. Data were analyzed from 2018 to 2019. Exposures:All individuals in California with a firearm injury based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes were included. Main Outcomes and Measures:Counts and rates of nonfatal firearm injuries overall and stratified by external cause, sex, and race/ethnicity; total and clinical CFRs. Clinical CFR was calculated based on individuals treated in emergency departments or hospitals. Results:Over the study period, there were 81?085 firearm-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations among individuals with a mean (SD) age of 27.5 (11.9) years, 72?567 (89.6%) of whom were men. Nonfatal firearm injuries in California decreased by 38.1% between 2005 and 2015, driven by a 46.4% decrease in assaultive injuries. Self-inflicted injuries and unintentional injuries remained relatively stable. The overall CFR for firearm injuries increased from 27.6% in 2005 to 32.2% in 2015 for a relative increase of 20.7%, while the clinical CFR remained stable between 7.0% and 9.0%. Conclusions and Relevance:These findings suggest that although the number of firearm injuries has decreased in California, the lethality of these injuries has not. Similar studies from other states could provide more information about these trends nationwide.

SUBMITTER: Spitzer SA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7450357 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Incidence, Distribution, and Lethality of Firearm Injuries in California From 2005 to 2015.

Spitzer Sarabeth A SA Pear Veronica A VA McCort Christopher D CD Wintemute Garen J GJ

JAMA network open 20200803 8

<h4>Importance</h4>Little is known about nonfatal firearm injuries in the United States, and national estimates based on emergency department samples may not be accurate.<h4>Objective</h4>To describe the incidence and distribution of nonfatal firearm injuries and estimate case fatality ratios (CFRs) for firearm injuries by external cause of injury code within California overall and by race/ethnicity, including an assessment of trends over time and geographic variation within the state.<h4>Design ...[more]

PMID: 32845330

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Project description:ImportanceIn the US, approximately 40 000 people die due to firearm-related injuries annually. However, nonfatal firearm-related injuries are less precisely tracked.ObjectivesTo assess the annual incidence of hospitalization for nonfatal firearm-related injuries in New York and to compare the annual incidence by sex, race/ethnicity, county of residence, and calendar years.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cross-sectional study used data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System for patients aged 15 years or older who presented to an emergency department in New York with nonfatal firearm-related injuries from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2016. Data were analyzed from January 15, 2019, to April 21, 2021.ExposureA nonfatal firearm-related injury, defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification and International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes.Main outcomes and measuresThe annual incidence of nonfatal firearm-related injuries was calculated by determining the number of patients with a nonfatal firearm-related injury each year divided by the total population of New York.ResultsThe study included 31 060 unique patients with 35 059 hospital encounters for nonfatal firearm-related injuries. The mean (SD) age at admission was 28.5 (11.9) years; most patients were male (90.6%) and non-Hispanic Black individuals (62.0%). The overall annual incidence was 18.4 per 100 000 population. Although decreasing trends of annual incidence were observed across the state during the study period, this trend was not present in all 62 counties, with 32 counties (51.6%) having an increase in the incidence of injuries between 2005 and 2010 and 29 (46.8%) having an increase in the incidence of injuries between 2010 and 2015. In 19 of the 30 counties (63.3%) that had a decrease in incidence in earlier years, the incidence increased in later years.Conclusions and relevanceThe annual incidence of hospitalization for nonfatal firearm-related injuries in New York during the study period was 18.4 per 100 000 population. Reliable tracking of nonfatal firearm-related injury data may be useful for policy makers, hospital systems, community organizers, and public health officials as they consider resource allocation for trauma systems and injury prevention programs.

Dataset Information

Incidence, Distribution, and Lethality of Firearm Injuries in California From 2005 to 2015.

Publications

Incidence, Distribution, and Lethality of Firearm Injuries in California From 2005 to 2015.

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