Child maltreatment related injuries: Incidence, hospital charges, and correlates of hospitalization

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine' the incidence, hospital charges, and correlates associated with inpatient treatment of child maltre atment related injuries. Methods: The data were based on the 1995 Pennsylvania Hospital Discharge Da ta which included all Pennsylvania acute care hospitals that reported child maltreatment discharges. Per capita hospital discharge rates were computed for children discharged with child maltreatment related injuries according to selected variables. Odds ratios for child maltreatment related injury h ospitalizations were also computed. Results: A total of 348 maltreated injured children ages 0-19 years were di scharged from Pennsylvania hospitals in 1995, representing an incidence rat e of 10.8 per 100,000 persons. The total hospital charges for child maltrea tment related injury discharges amounted to over $5.4 million, of which Med icaid alone paid for 45%. Compared to a random sample of non-maltreated inj ured children (n = 1052), maltreated injured children were found to be sign ificantly younger, more likely to be females, and more likely to be Black. Child maltreatment related injury hospitalizations were more likely to be u rgent and via physician referral or transfer from other health care facilit y. Maltreated injured children were three times as likely to die as other c hildren. Conclusions: These findings indicate that injury from child maltreatment is a major cause of hospitalization of young children 5 years and younger and represents a significant cost to publicly financed health care. While hosp ital discharge data can be used for population-based surveillance of child maltreatment related trauma, there is need for improvement in the surveilla nce of these injuries. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.