title: The cost and compensability of trauma patients.
abstract: Injury in Australia was responsible for 400 000 hospitalisations in 2002. This study aimed to examine the direct costs of trauma patients in a Level 1 trauma centre and determine the compensability of those patients. Data on all admitted patients (206) filling trauma criteria were collected prospectively over a 3-month period (November 2006 to January 2007). A 10-question survey was completed on each patient to record mechanism of injury, third party private health insurance or workers compensation, and direct costs were also obtained. 30% of trauma admissions had an injury severity score (ISS)> 15 (n = 62; median ISS =9; range, 1-56). Median length of stay was 3 days (range, 1-126). Almost half (47%) of the patients were involved in road trauma, and 29% in falls. More than half (53.4%) were eligible for compensation (21.8% of patients had full hospital health insurance cover, 21.4% third party insurance and 9.2% workers compensation). The mechanism of injury with the highest median cost per patient was assault, followed by pedal cyclists, pedestrians then motor vehicle collisions.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Sydney, Australia. kate.curtis@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.forename: Cara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dickson
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult