GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF RECURRENT INTENTIONAL INJURY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL LOS-ANGELES

To better understand geographic and temporal patterns of recurrent int entional injury, 285 consecutive trauma patients were evaluated prospe ctively. Fifteen were excluded because of immediate death or severe br ain injury. The remaining 270 patients were interviewed. Of these, 59 (22%) had been treated in a hospital for a total of 75 previous episod es of intentional trauma (mean: 1.3 episodes/patient). In 66 of the 75 episodes, the patient recalled where treatment had been received (88% ). Twenty-eight (42%) of the 66 episodes had been treated at King/Drew Medical Center (KDMC), 36 (55%) had been treated at a hospital within a 3-mile radius of KDMC, 48 (73%) within an 8-mile radius, and 63 (95 %) within a In-mile radius. Sixty-five percent of the episodes occurre d 5 years or less prior to the current injury (range: 11 days to 30 ye ars; mean: 4.9 years), patients currently admitted for Intentional inj ury were more likely to have had intentional injury previously than th ose with unintentional injury (27% versus 12%). Based on these finding s, we conclude that intentional trauma patients in our community remai n in a defined geographic region and that there is a definable high-ri sk period for recurrent intentional injury. These conclusions should e nhance the development of a framework on which future violence prevent ion programs can be designed.