NCJ Number
170968
Journal
Journal of the American Medical Association Volume: 275 Issue: 22 Dated: (June 12, 1996) Pages: 1734-1739
Date Published
1998
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Data from records of discharges from acute-care hospitals in California in 1991 were used to study the incidence, nature, demographics, severity, and hospital costs associated with inpatient treatment of injuries related to firearms.
Abstract
The results revealed that 9,562 persons were released for firearm-related injuries in 1991, for a rate of 32 discharges per 100,000 population. Males aged 15-24 years accounted for 72 percent of the hospitalizations. The highest age-specific and race-specific rate was 439 per 100,000 for black persons aged 15-24 years. Los Angeles County had the highest county discharge rate: 55 per 100,000. The State had 1.8 hospital discharges per firearm-related fatality in the hospital or community. assaults accounted for 74 percent of the cases. The hospital charges for 9,193 individuals exceeded $164 million and had an average of $17,888 and a median of $8,535. Publicly financed health insurance programs sponsored 56 percent of the persons, 25 percent had private insurance, and 19 percent lacked insurance. Fifty-three percent of the discharges occurred at 13 of the 371 hospitals that discharged persons with firearm-related injuries. Results indicated that firearm-related violence is a major cause of hospitalization of young urban black males, represents a significant cost to publicly financed health care, and has a highly disproportionate impact on individual hospitals. Findings also indicated the need for improved local, State, and national data collection to monitor these injuries. Tables, figure, and 37 injuries (Author abstract modified)