(1713) Elderly Patients Incur Additional Injuries in Care Facilities Following Trauma Admissions

Introduction: While elderly trauma injuries – especially falls – are well studied, little is known about where elderly trauma patients’ injuries occur and the impact of elderly patients’ care environment on injuries. We describe differences in elderly trauma patients’ injury prevalence, patterns, and trauma recidivism according to their care environment and place of injury (home, public place, assisted living facility, memory care, and skilled nursing facility).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study of all elderly (65 +) trauma patients admitted to our Level 1 trauma center within a recent six-month period (n=649). We describe the data and conducted a multivariable logistic regression model calculating the odds of returning to trauma for a new injury after controls (age, gender, fall injuries, TBI presence, ISS, and length of stay).

Results: Most (59.6%) elderly trauma patients come from home, and the vast majority (83.8%) of elderly trauma injuries are falls. 12.3% of patients returned to the hospital within 30 days. Patients who come from an institutional setting and are ages 65-84 are 2.98 times more likely to return to the hospital within 30 days than patients injured at home or in public, after controls (adjusted OR: 2.98, p=.009). Among institutional settings, skilled nursing facilities are the strongest driver of injury recidivism (adjusted OR: 5.33, p=.006.)

Conclusions: Most elderly trauma patients come from home, but elderly trauma recidivists are most likely to come from institutional settings. Trauma care decisions can benefit from an awareness of the elderly patient’s injury environment.