The pedestrian trauma patient. Perspectives from a psychiatric consultation service.
The hospital course of adult pedestrians injured by automobiles and treated by a university trauma service over a 12-month period was reviewed to evaluate the prevalence, recognition, and intervention of substance use and suicidal behavior. The study showed that the pedestrian trauma patient had a dramatically high rate of substance use and a surprisingly low index of suspicion of suicide attempt by the treatment team as a cause of the accident. Appropriate intervention might greatly reduce the financial and human cost of trauma care, but awareness and identification of these risk factors must be taught first.
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange.
D M
DM
Kliger
L D
LD
Sporty
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D000431:Ethanol