title: Short-term health service utilization after a paediatric injury: a population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the study is to identify which types of injuries are responsible for a major component of the health burden in a population-based children cohort in North-Eastern Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  All children (1-13 years) residing in Veneto region, who were hospitalized in 2008 with a International Classification of Diseases, ninth edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for injury in the first diagnostic field were considered. The outcome was defined as the difference in hospital use in the 12 months following the injury and it was compared to the year preceding the injury occurrence. We computed hospitalization rates by gender, age class and injury type.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hospitalization rates for injury are highest in males, especially among school-aged children. Rates for intracranial injury exhibit a more pronounced decline with age in females, whereas a more marked rise in upper limb fracture rates among school-aged males is observed. Overall, 3 days of hospital stay per child are attributable to injury. Burns, skull fracture and a high injury severity are associated with a greater number of additional inpatient days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of specific injury types on health services utilization varies with gender, age and severity. These observed patterns contribute to build a clearer picture of this leading global public health problem and deserve more attention in planning preventive strategies and resource allocation.
authors.forename: Ileana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Avossa
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fedeli
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Foltran
authors.affiliation: Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Via Loredan 18, 35131, Padova, Italy. dario.gregori@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gregori
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D007558:Italy; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*