Emergency Department Usage Patterns Among Pediatric Victims of Gun Violence and Physical Assault.

OBJECTIVE: Violent injuries are a common reason for pediatric emergency department (ED) visits, with gun violence being the leading cause of violent death among children. The objective of this study was to assess for patterns of pediatric ED usage that are associated with future ED visits for violent injuries. METHODS: This case-control study included youths aged 6 to 19 years who presented to a pediatric ED over a 3-year period due to a physical assault (PA) or their first known gunshot wound (GSW). We compared them with age-, race-, and sex-matched youths presenting for nonviolent medical complaints. All previous ED visits were coded as (1) injuries due to a previous PA, (2) mental/behavioral health visits, (3) sexual/reproductive health visits, (4) sexual assault, or (5) concerns for child abuse. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify patterns of previous ED usage associated with future ED visits for injuries related to PA and/or GSW. RESULTS: The PA and GSW groups used the ED for previous PAs, mental/behavioral health, sexual/reproductive health, sexual assault, and/or child abuse concerns on average 4 to 8 times as often as the control group. Previous ED visits for mental/behavioral health (odds ratio [OR] 5), sexual/reproductive health (OR 3), sexual assault (OR 9), and prior PA (OR 8) were predictive of a future ED visit for PA. Male sex (OR 6) and previous ED visits for PA (OR 5) were predictive of a future ED visit for GSW. Two percent of the PA group and 9% of the GSW group returned to the ED with a subsequent GSW in the following 16 to 40 months. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency department visits due to interpersonal violence, mental/behavioral health, sexual/reproductive health, and sexual assault are associated with recurrent ED visits for violent injuries. Awareness of patterns of ED usage may aid in identifying patients at high risk for violence and increase opportunities for preventative interventions.

Child Firearm Injury Circumstances and Associations With Violence Intervention Program Enrollment.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among American children. While assault is the most commonly cited cause, few studies have investigated circumstances surrounding such injuries. Violence intervention programs (VIPs) have been utilized to combat firearm violence, though a similar lack of knowledge exists regarding possible associations between firearm injury circumstances and youth VIP enrollment. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included children aged 6-17 y who presented to an urban level 1 pediatric trauma center with firearm injuries from 2014 to 2017. Victim demographics and enrollment in a VIP were obtained from medical records, as well as circumstances surrounding the injuries based on account of the victim, victim's family/friends, and/or police present at the hospital. Circumstances included location of the shooting, if the shooter was known to the victim, and if the shooting was confirmed by the victim or their contacts to have been accidental or an intentional assault. Medical record numbers were used to locate victims in our trauma registry in order to obtain their assigned international classification of disease codes. Wilcox-rank sum, Pearson's chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to detect associations between demographics, VIP enrollment, and shooting circumstances. RESULTS: 156 victims of firearm injury were described, including primarily Black adolescent males. 72% of victims were shot outdoors by an unknown shooter, the motivation of which was unknown in 93% of cases. 36% of these shootings were "drive-by". The majority of victims received international classification of disease codes for assault, though shootings that were confirmed by the victim to have been intentional assaults were relatively uncommon (13.4%). Most children lived in the same zip code in which they were shot (71%), and three particular zip codes accounted for 40% of shootings. 26% of victims chose to enroll in the VIP, and those that were victims of confirmed assaults (odds ratio 3.5) as well as those admitted to the hospital (odds ratio 2.4) were significantly more likely to enroll. CONCLUSIONS: Based on victim account, children living in an urban setting are more frequently victims of unclearly motivated, outdoor neighborhood shootings rather than intentional assaults. More accurate understanding of the causes of pediatric firearm injuries should inform both recruitment into VIPs, as well as a balancing of VIPs with community-level interventions to address firearm violence.

COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on the Epidemiology and Mortality of Pediatric Firearm Injuries; A Single Center Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with increased firearm injuries amongst adults, though the pandemic's effect on children is less clearly understood. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed at a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center and included youths 0-19 years. The trauma registry was retrospectively queried for firearm injuries occurring pre-COVID-19 pandemic (March 2015-February 2020). Baseline data was compared to prospectively collected data occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-March 2022). Fischer's exact, Pearson's Chi-square and/or correlation analysis was used to compare pre and post-COVID-19 firearm injury rates and intent, victim demographics and disposition. Temporal relationships between firearm injury rates and local COVID-19 death rates were also described. RESULTS: 413 pre-COVID-19 firearm injuries were compared to 259 pandemic firearm injuries. Victims were mostly Black males with a mean age of 13.4 years. Compared to the 5 years pre-pandemic, monthly firearm injury rates increased 51.5% (6.8 vs 10.3 shootings/month), including a significant increase (p = 0.04) in firearm assaults/homicides and a relative decrease in unintentional shootings. Deaths increased 29%, and there were significantly fewer ED discharges and more admissions to OR and/or PICU (p = 0.005). There was a significant increase in Black victims (p = 0.01) and those having Medicaid or self-pay (p<0.001). Firearm injury spikes were noted during or within the 3 months following surges in local COVID-19 death rates. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in the frequency and mortality of pediatric firearm injuries, particularly assaults amongst Black children following surges in COVID death rates. Increased violence-intervention services are needed, particularly amongst marginalized communities. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: This is a prognostic study, evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric firearm injuries, including victim demographics, injury intent and mortality. This study is retrospective and observational, making it Oxford Level III evidence.

Factors associated with pediatric firearm injury and enrollment in a violence intervention program.

PURPOSE: To identify factors associated with firearm injury (FI) and willingness to enroll in a violence intervention program amongst pediatric victims of violence. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of victims of violence age 6-19 years presenting to a children's hospital emergency department from 2014 to 2017. Participants were interviewed by social workers prior to being offered enrollment in a violence intervention program. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with FI and enrollment in the violence intervention program. RESULTS: Four hundred seven patients were analyzed, 156 (38%) of which were victims of FI and 251 (62%) were victims of non-firearm-related physical assaults (PA). Multiple factors were associated with FI including older adolescent age, male sex, separated/divorced parents, losses in family/social network due to violence, being on probation, illicit substance use, gang affiliation, and lack of school enrollment. One hundred four patients (26%) enrolled in the violence intervention program. There was no difference in enrollment between FI and PA. However, older adolescent age, illicit substance use and probation were associated with significantly decreased odds of enrolling in the program. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple identifiable and potentially actionable risk factors exist amongst pediatric victims of acute FI. More specific targeting of at-risk groups may improve enrollment in violence interventions programs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: This is a prognostic study, investigating the natural history of pediatric firearm injuries, factors associated with firearm injuries as well as those associated with patient propensity to enroll in a violence intervention program. This study is observational in nature and utilizes patients with non-firearm-related physical assaults as a control group, making this study Level III evidence.