Characterization of Traumatic Injury During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From a National Healthcare Database

Objective: To characterize traumatic injury patterns after stay-at-home orders were implemented in the United States in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A retrospective review of a convenience sample of patients from a national healthcare research database (TriNetX) was conducted from April 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020. Inclusion criteria included all patients with documentation of both injury pattern and mechanism of injury. A comparison was made to a matched pre-pandemic timeframe. Changes in percentage and rate ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval were reported. RRs were calculated using Poisson regression analysis. Results: A total of 238,661 patients in the control and 178,224 patients in the study cohorts were analyzed. Significant increases in assaults (RR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.20) and bicycle accidents (RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.11) were noted. There was a relative increase in patients who were male (+1.78%) and white (+2.01%). More injuries were alcohol-related (+0.76%) and occurred at home (+0.79%). A decrease in motor vehicle accidents (-1.17%), foot and ankle injuries (-1.63%), and injuries occurring at sporting events (-0.54%) was noted. Conclusions: Changes in injury patterns were observed during the study period. During future crises, particular public health and injury prevention resources may be required to address assaults, substance abuse, and home safety.