A Population-Based Sex-Stratified Study to Understand How Health Status Preceding Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Direct Medical Cost

Abstract

ObjectiveTo understand how pre-injury health status present five-years preceding traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects direct medical cost two years post-injury. MethodsPatients age �19 years in the emergency department (ED) or acute care for a TBI between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2014 in Ontario, Canada (N = 55,669) were identified from population-based health administrative data. Forty-three factors of pre-injury health status (i.e., comorbidities and personal, social, and environmental factors) that were internally validated for the TBI population were assessed in this study. The outcome of interest was direct medical cost within two years of discharge. Sex-specific multivariable linear regressions were conducted to understand the associations between direct medical cost within two years of discharge and pre-injury health status.