Epidemiological Trends and Rehabilitation Utilization of Traumatic Brain Injury in Korea (2008-2018)

This study aimed to estimate the trend of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and TBI-related medical usage in Korea. Patients first diagnosed with disease codes of TBIs were included. We calculated the crude incidence and age-adjusted incidence, as well as medical cost, length of stay (LOS), clinic visits, and the number of specialized rehabilitation therapy for 1 year. Patients first diagnosed as TBI was higher in national health insurance (NH-I) than in automobile insurance (AUTO-I). In contrast with the gradual decrease of the crude incidence, total medical costs both in NH-I and AUTO-I were generally and steadily increased. For oriental medicine, total medical costs dramatically increased in both inpatient and outpatient. LOS, clinic visits, and the number of specialized rehabilitation therapy were higher in AUTO-I than in NH-I. The most frequent age groups in NH-I were the young (0–9) and old (70 or over), whereas in AUTO-I, the working age group was prominent. Our results show differences in the incidence of TBI and medical usage between NH-I and AUTO-I, which could be associated with the policy for strengthening health insurance coverage, automobile-related regulations to prevent accidents and injuries, as well as rapid changes in the structure of the population in Korea.