Impact of Holidays on Pediatric Trauma Admissions to a Community Hospital in South Florida.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The data from temperate regions indicate increases in pediatric traumatic injuries during the spring and summer months with anticipated admission spikes on warm weather holidays; hospitals in southern subtropical regions should not anticipate the same trends. The objectives of this study were to identify holiday-specific spikes in pediatric traumatic injury admissions at a community hospital in South Florida and report injury patterns in age, mechanism of injury, and surgical consults. METHODS: A 5-year retrospective review of pediatric traumatic injuries during holiday periods was conducted; patterns in age, mechanism of injury, and surgical consults were described. A ratio of the mean number of patients seen per day for holiday periods versus nonholiday days of the same month was calculated for each holiday. RESULTS: The most notable spikes in injury volume were for autumn and winter holidays; average volume doubled during the holiday periods for New Year's Day, Super Bowl weekend, Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, and Halloween. Holiday periods had increases in the proportion of injuries related to motorcycle crashes. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals located in southern subtropical climates should consider increasing staffing as necessary during select autumn and winter holidays.