@article{ref1,
title="Interpersonal violence and violent re-injury in the Northern Territory",
journal="Australian journal of rural health",
year="2020",
author="Lim, Kah Heng Alexander and McDermott, Kathleen and Read, David J.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: To analyse incidence of prior emergency department presentations for interpersonal violence and demographics for a series of hospital admissions for interpersonal violence injuries. <br><br>DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of trauma registry. SETTING: A tertiary hospital and primary referral centre for trauma in the Top End of the Northern Territory. PARTICIPANTS: Patients hospitalised from 2010 to 2015 for injuries due to interpersonal violence with an injury severity score > 9. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient demographics, injury location, assault mechanism, alleged perpetrator, time/day of event, alcohol involvement, clinical outcome and prior emergency department presentations for interpersonal violence. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 248 admissions for patients with Injury Severity Score > 9 due to interpersonal violence were identified. Indigenous females over-represented non-Indigenous females (35.4% vs 5.0%, P < .001). The majority of victims had evidence of alcohol intake at presentation. Victims of single-punch head injuries were mostly male and non-Indigenous, whilst Indigenous persons experienced significantly more blunt and penetrating weapon injuries (66.7% and 68.1%). Forty-three per cent of patients had a preceding emergency department presentation for interpersonal violence; female gender, Indigenous ethnicity, evidence of alcohol intake, and urban location of injury were independent risk factors for prior interpersonal violence presentation. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal violence is a recurring disease for a just under half of those presenting to a Top End hospital with moderate to severe injuries. Indigenous ethnicity, female gender and evidence of alcohol intake are predictive of prior interpersonal violence presentations. Patient under-reporting and incomplete data may underestimate the true prevalence of interpersonal violence presentations in rural and remote locales.<br><br>© 2020 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1038-5282",
doi="10.1111/ajr.12590",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12590"
}