Objective: To compare the epidemiology, in-hospital outcomes, and 6-month and 12-month patient-reported, outcomes of major trauma patients with intimate partner violence (IPV)-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) with other interpersonal violence (OV)-related TBI.
Setting: Victoria, Australia.
Participants: Adult (≥18 years) major trauma cases with TBI (concussion, skull fracture, or intracranial injury), injured through IPV or OV, between July 2010 and June 2020, and included on the population-based Victorian State Trauma Registry. There were 133 adult major trauma cases due to IPV and 1796 due to OV. The prevalence of TBI was 39% (n = 52) in the IPV group and 56% (n = 1010) in the OV group.
Design: Registry-based cohort study.
Main measures: Trauma care indicators and 6- and 12-month patient-reported outcomes (self-reported disability, Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended, EQ-5D-3L, and return to work).
Results: The annual incidence (95% CI) of major trauma involving TBI was 0.11 (0.08-0.14) per 100 000 population for IPV and 2.11 (1.98-2.24) per 100 000 for OV. A higher proportion of IPV-related cases were women (73% vs 5%), had sustained a severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score 3-8; 27% vs 15%), were admitted to intensive care (56% vs 37%), and died in hospital (14% vs 5%). The median (interquartile range) time to definitive care (4.7 hours vs 3.3 hours) and head computed tomographic scan (5.0 hours vs 3.1 hours) was longer in the IPV group. Follow-up rates at 6 and 12 months were 71% and 69%, respectively. The 6- and 12-month outcomes were generally poorer in the IPV-related group.
Conclusion: The incidence of IPV-related major trauma with TBI was low. However, the prevalence of severe TBI, the time to key aspects of clinical care, in-hospital mortality, and longer-term work-related disability were higher. However, power to detect differences was low due to the small number of IPV-related cases compared with the OV group.
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