Factors predicting injury severity in driver traffic accidents

ABSTRACT

Objective@#The factors related to injury severity in accidents in Korea are unclear. This study helps primary physicians treat victims of traffic accidents with a high probability of severe injury during the initial evaluation in the emergency department (ED). @*Methods@#This study was conducted on patients who visited Pusan National University Hospital regional trauma center, Korea, between January 2017 and December 2019 due to involvement in automobile accidents as a driver. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship of factors with injury severity. @*Results@#A total of 973 patients were included. Of them, 316 (32.5%) were severely injured. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age was significantly associated with more severe injury (odds ratio [OR], 1.030; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.017-1.043; P<0.001). A significant difference was noted in injury severity according to the mode of transportation to the ED. Transportation via private ambulance was associated with more severe injury than via public ambulance (OR, 5.853; 95% CI, 3.986-8.594; P<0.001). The severe injury was more likely when the collision involved a large-sized vehicle (OR, 2.369; 95% CI, 1.466-3.826; P<0.001), or a fixed object (OR, 2.077; 95% CI, 1.326-3.254; P<0.001) compared to a small-sized vehicle. The group that did not wear a seat belt had more severe injuries than those who wore a seat belt (OR, 2.218; 95% CI, 1.421-3.463; P<0.001). @*Conclusion@#Injury severity was correlated with age, mode of transportation to the ED, type of collision and seat belt use. These results will help primary physicians assess critically ill patients.