EFFECT OF ETHNICITY ON THE OUTCOME OF TRAUMA PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT ORTHOPAEDIC INJURIES

Purpose: There is a growing recognition of the existence of ethnic disparities in healthcare. We hypothesized that ethnic minorities would have a statistically significant increased rate of morbidity and mortality compared with non-minority groups. Our purpose is to determine if there is a relationship between the patient's ethnic background and the incidence of in-hospital complications, discharge outcomes, discharge disposition, and mortality. Methods: Utilizing our institution's trauma registry, all adult trauma activations, from January 1, 2008 through November 30, 2010, with an Injury Severity Score of 9 or greater, were identified. Our hospital categorizes ethnicity as: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Other. Variables of interest included age, gender, ethnicity, injury mechanism, orthopaedic injuries, inpatient complications, Glasgow Outcome Scale, payer, discharge disposition, and mortality. Logistic regression was utilized for statistic analysis. Results: The study included 3,876 patients, average age 43 years, and average Injury Severity Scale of 17. The ethnic demographics of the study population are consistent with the current demographics of Tarrant County, Texas, where our Level I trauma center is located. 9.49% patients died and 56.20% of the patients had an identified orthopaedic injury. Logistic regression analysis did not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between ethnicity and the mortality rate, in-hospital complication rate, Glasgow Outcome Scale assessment and discharge disposition. Conclusions: Our data are contrary to previously published studies regarding differences in outcomes for trauma patients of various ethnicities. These results are perhaps reflective of a county Level I trauma center that services patients of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.