Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Trends in admission and death rates due to paediatric head injury in England, 2000-2011

Marlow, Robin; Mytton, Julie; Maconochie, Ian K.; Taylor, Hazel; Lyttle, Mark

Trends in admission and death rates due to paediatric head injury in England, 2000-2011 Thumbnail


Authors

Robin Marlow

Ian K. Maconochie

Hazel Taylor



Abstract

Background The number of children admitted to hospital is increasing year on year, with very short-stay admissions doubling in the last decade. Childhood head injury accounts for half a million emergency department attendances in the UK every year. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued three iterations of evidence-based national guidance for head injury since 2003. Objectives To assess if any changes in the rates of admission, death or causes of head injury could be temporally associated with the introduction of sequential national guidelines by longitudinal analysis of the epidemiology of paediatric head injury admissions in England from 2000 to 2011. Methods Retrospective analysis of English Hospital Episode Statistics data of children under the age of 16 years old admitted to hospital with the discharge diagnosis of head injury. Results The number of hospital admissions with paediatric head injury in England rose by 10% from 34 150 in 2000 to 37 430 in 2011, with the proportion admitted for less than 1 day rising from 38% to 57%. The main cause of head injury was falls (42-47%). Deaths due to head injury decreased by 52% from 76 in 2000 to 40 in 2011. Road traffic accidents were the main cause of death in the year 2000 (67%) but fell to 40% by 2011. In 2000, children who were admitted or died from head injuries were more than twice as likely to come from the most deprived homes compared with least deprived homes. By 2011, the disparity for risk of admission had narrowed, but no change was seen for risk of death. Conclusions Temporal relationships exist between implementation of NICE head injury guidance and increased admissions, shorter hospital stay and reduced mortality. The underlying cause of this association is likely to be multifactorial.

Citation

Marlow, R., Mytton, J., Maconochie, I. K., Taylor, H., & Lyttle, M. (2015). Trends in admission and death rates due to paediatric head injury in England, 2000-2011. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 100(12), 1136-1140. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2015-308615

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 25, 2015
Publication Date Dec 1, 2015
Deposit Date Oct 26, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Archives of Disease in Childhood
Print ISSN 0003-9888
Electronic ISSN 1468-2044
Publisher BMJ Publishing Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 100
Issue 12
Pages 1136-1140
DOI https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2015-308615
Keywords paediatric head injury, NICE, clinical decision rules
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/802582
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2015-308615

Files






You might also like



Downloadable Citations