Results
Description of the studied variable:
Demographic variables and other variables were described using descriptive statistics including average; standard deviation; frequency and percentage.
- 1)
Level of consciousness
Table 1.
Frequency distribution of consciousness level variables.
Table 1.
Frequency distribution of consciousness level variables.
Level of consciousness |
Frequency |
Percent |
13 |
126 |
28/3 |
14 |
1 |
2/0 |
15 |
318 |
71/5 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to the table; the level of consciousness for patients in level 13 were %28/3 and %71/5 of them were at level 15.
- 2)
Reason for referral
Table 2.
Frequency distribution of patients by reason of referral.
Table 2.
Frequency distribution of patients by reason of referral.
Reason for referral |
Frequency |
Percent |
Fall |
134 |
30/1 |
Car accident |
163 |
36/6 |
Slip |
16 |
3/6 |
Epilepsy |
3 |
0/7 |
Conflict |
45 |
10/1 |
collision with hard object |
84 |
18/9 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to this table; out of 445 patients; 36/6% referred to the emergency department due to car accident and 0/7% due to epilepsy.
- 3)
Age
Table 3.
Frequency distribution of age group of patients.
Table 3.
Frequency distribution of age group of patients.
Age group |
Frequency |
Percent |
1-10 |
42 |
9/4 |
11-20 |
54 |
12/1 |
21-30 |
110 |
24/7 |
31-40 |
89 |
20/0 |
41-50 |
63 |
14/2 |
51-60 |
39 |
8/8 |
61-70 |
25 |
5/6 |
>70 |
23 |
5/2 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to the table; the age group of 12-30 years had the highest frequency and the age group over 70 years had the lowest frequency.
- 4)
Sex
Table 4.
Frequency distribution of patients by sex.
Table 4.
Frequency distribution of patients by sex.
Sex |
Frequency |
Percent |
Male |
257 |
57/8 |
Female |
188 |
42/2 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to table; 445 patients were studied that 257 of them were male and 188 were female. Therefore; the percentage of male clients is more than woman.
- 5)
Pathological symptoms
Table 5.
frequency distribution of the studied samples by pathological symptoms.
Table 5.
frequency distribution of the studied samples by pathological symptoms.
Pathological symptoms |
Frequency |
Percent |
No symptoms |
393 |
88/3 |
Injury |
22 |
4/9 |
Mild symptoms |
20 |
4/5 |
General symptoms |
6 |
1/3 |
Meningitis |
4 |
0/9 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to the table; 88/3% of the patients referred were asymptomatic and only 0/9% of them presented with meningitis symptoms.
- 6)
Clinical symptoms
Table 6.
Frequency distribution of samples by clinical signs.
Table 6.
Frequency distribution of samples by clinical signs.
Clinical symptom |
Frequency |
Percent |
Nausea; vomiting; Headache; hematoma; Loss of consciousness and dizziness |
76 |
17/1 |
Headache; Nausea and dizziness |
159 |
35/7 |
Coma |
5 |
1/1 |
Headache |
205 |
46/1 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to the table, the highest frequency of clinical symptoms was related to headache and 36% were presented with symptoms such as headache; nausea and dizziness.
- 7)
Reason for requesting a CT scan
Table 7.
Frequency distribution of samples by CT scan applicant.
Table 7.
Frequency distribution of samples by CT scan applicant.
Applicant for CT scan. |
Frequency |
Percent |
Doctor |
443 |
99/6 |
Patient |
2 |
0/4 |
Total |
445 |
100 |
According to the table, 99/6% of the requests for CT scan were from the doctor and only 2 out of 445 people (4.0%) had performed CT scan at their own request.
- 8)
Reason for discharge.
Table 8.
Frequency distribution of the studied samples according to the cause of discharge.
Table 8.
Frequency distribution of the studied samples according to the cause of discharge.
Reason for discharge |
Frequency |
Percent |
Doctor |
313 |
73/1 |
Patient |
111 |
25/9 |
Escape |
4 |
0/9 |
Total |
428* |
100 |
According to the table, about 73% of the patients were discharged with request of the doctor and 0.9% of the patients were escaped.
- 9)
Underlying disease
Table 9.
Frequency distribution of samples by underlying disease.
Table 9.
Frequency distribution of samples by underlying disease.
Underlying disease |
Frequency |
Percent |
Blood pressure |
45 |
10/1 |
History of surgery |
14 |
3/2 |
Epilepsy |
9 |
2/0 |
NO disease |
371 |
83/6 |
Asthma |
5 |
1/1 |
Total |
444* |
100 |
According to the table, about 84% of patients had no underlying disease and 1/1% had Asthma.
- 11)
Addiction or allergies
Table 11.
Frequency distribution of samples according to the presence or absence of addiction or sensitivity.
Table 11.
Frequency distribution of samples according to the presence or absence of addiction or sensitivity.
Addiction or sensitivity |
Frequency |
Percent |
Negative |
409 |
92/1 |
Positive |
35 |
7/9 |
Total |
444* |
100 |
According to the table, about 92% of patients were not addicted or allergic and about 8% of the samples answered positively.
- 12)
Duration of hospitalization
Table 12.
Frequency distribution of patients according to length of hospital stay.
Table 12.
Frequency distribution of patients according to length of hospital stay.
Duration of hospitalization |
Frequency |
Percent |
Maximum 24 hours |
315 |
73/4 |
More than 24 hours |
114 |
26/6 |
Total |
429 |
100 |
According to the table, 73/4% of patients were discharged from the hospital within 24 hours and only 26/6% of patients were hospitalized for more than 24 hours.
- 13)
Hospitalization in other wards of the hospital
Table 13.
Frequency distribution of patients according to hospitalization in other wards of the hospital.
Table 13.
Frequency distribution of patients according to hospitalization in other wards of the hospital.
Hospital sections |
Frequency |
Percent |
Emergency |
328 |
74/0 |
ICU 1 |
23 |
5/2 |
ICU 2 |
41 |
9/3 |
Neurology |
51 |
11/5 |
Total |
443 |
100 |
According to the table, 74% of patients were hospitalization to the outpatient emergency department of the hospital and 5/2% were admitted to the ICU 1 ward.
Investigation of research hypotheses
In this part of the study, the relationship between duration of hospitalization and other variables was examined using independent t-test, Chi-square. It should be noted that wherever the Chi-square test default was not met, Fisher's exact test was used.
- 1)
Investigating the relationship between level of consciousness and duration of hospitalization.
Table 1.
Investigating the relationship between level of consciousness and duration of hospitalization using Fisher's exact test.
Table 1.
Investigating the relationship between level of consciousness and duration of hospitalization using Fisher's exact test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
Fisher's exact test result |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Level of consciousness |
00/13 |
47 |
75 |
122 |
Value< 001/0 P- |
00/14 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
00/15 |
268 |
38 |
306 |
Total |
|
315 |
114 |
429 |
|
According to the table from 122 patients, that were at the level of consciousness 13, 75 persons were hospitalized for more than 24 hours. While from 306 patients with a level of consciousness 15, only 38 were hospitalized for more than 24 hours.
- 2)
Investigating relationship between the reason for referral and duration of hospitalization
Table 2.
Investigating the relationship between reason for referral and length of hospital stay using Fisher's exact test.
Table 2.
Investigating the relationship between reason for referral and length of hospital stay using Fisher's exact test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
Fisher's exact test result |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Reason for referral |
Fall |
90 |
40 |
130 |
Value< 001/0P |
Car accident |
114 |
43 |
157 |
Slip |
12 |
3 |
15 |
Epilepsy |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Conflict |
25 |
18 |
43 |
collision with hard object |
73 |
8 |
81 |
Total |
|
315 |
114 |
429 |
|
According to the table, there was a statistically significant relationship between the reason for referral and duration of hospitalization stay at the level of 0.05. For example, out of 43 patients referred because of conflict, 18 persons (approximately 42%) were hospitalized for more than 24 hours. Of the 81 patients who presented because of collision with hard object, only 8 (approximately 10%) were hospitalized for more than 24 hours.
- 3)
Investigating the relationship between age and duration of hospitalization
Table 3.
Investigating the relationship between age and duration of hospitalization stay using independent t-test.
Table 3.
Investigating the relationship between age and duration of hospitalization stay using independent t-test.
Duration of hospitalization |
Sample size |
Average |
The standard error |
T statistics |
P-value |
Maximum 24 hours |
315 |
66/34 |
10/1 |
26/0 |
793/0 |
More than 24 hours |
114 |
21/35 |
68/1 |
|
|
According to the average age table, patients who were hospitalized for more than 24 hours are more than patients who were hospitalized for a maximum of 24 hours. But this mean difference was not statistically significant at the level of 0.05.
- 4)
Investigating the relationship between gender and duration of hospitalization
Table 4.
Investigating the relationship between gender and duration of hospitalization using Chi-square test.
Table 4.
Investigating the relationship between gender and duration of hospitalization using Chi-square test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
Chi-square test result |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Sex |
Male |
180 |
66 |
246 |
019/0Chi-square=889/0P-value= |
Female |
135 |
48 |
183 |
Total |
315 |
114 |
429 |
|
According to the table, there is no statistically significant relationship between gender and duration of hospitalization
- 5)
Investigating the relationship between pathological symptoms and duration of hospitalization
Table 5.
Evaluation of the relationship between pathological symptoms and duration of hospitalization using Fisher's exact test.
Table 5.
Evaluation of the relationship between pathological symptoms and duration of hospitalization using Fisher's exact test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
The result of Fisher's exact test |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Reason for referral |
No symptoms |
296 |
85 |
381 |
001/0P-value< |
Injury |
12 |
8 |
20 |
Mild symptoms |
3 |
15 |
18 |
general symptoms |
4 |
2 |
6 |
Meningitis |
0 |
4 |
4 |
Total |
|
315 |
114 |
|
According to the table, the result of Fisher's exact test was significant at the level of 0.05. That is, there is a statistically significant relationship between the reason for referral and the length of hospital stay. For example; 18 persons with mild symptoms were hospitalized for 24 hours. while from the 20 injured 8 persons were hospitalization for more than 24 hours.
- 6)
Evaluation of the relationship between clinical symptoms and duration of hospitalization
Table 6.
Evaluation of the relationship between clinical symptoms and duration of hospitalization.
Table 6.
Evaluation of the relationship between clinical symptoms and duration of hospitalization.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
The result of Fisher's exact test |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Reason of referral |
Nausea; Vomiting; Headache; hematoma; loss of consciousness and dizziness |
41 |
30 |
71 |
001/0P-value= |
Headache; Vomiting and dizziness |
109 |
47 |
156 |
Coma |
4 |
1 |
5 |
Headache |
161 |
36 |
197 |
Total |
|
315 |
114 |
429 |
|
According to the table, there was a statistically significant relationship between the reason for referral and the duration of hospitalization. As can be seen, the proportion of samples who were hospitalized for more than 24 hours is not homogeneous in different groups.
- 7)
Investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization stay and the person requesting a CT scan
Table 7.
investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization stay and the person requesting a CT scan.
Table 7.
investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization stay and the person requesting a CT scan.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
The result of Fisher's exact test |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Request |
Doctor |
314 |
113 |
427 |
461/op-value= |
Patient |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Total |
|
315 |
114 |
429 |
|
According to the table, no significant relationship was observed between the length of hospital stay and the person requesting the CT scan.
- 8)
Investigating the relationship between discharge cause and duration of hospitalization stay using Fisher's exact test
Table 8.
investigating the relationship between discharge cause and duration of hospitalization stay using Fisher's exact test.
Table 8.
investigating the relationship between discharge cause and duration of hospitalization stay using Fisher's exact test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
Fisher's exact test |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
|
Doctor |
226 |
86 |
312 |
838/0P-value= |
Patient |
83 |
27 |
110 |
Scape |
3 |
1 |
4 |
Total |
|
312 |
114 |
426 |
|
According to the table, there was a significant relationship between the cause of the drawing and the duration of hospitalization.
- 9)
Investigating the relationship between underlying disease and duration of hospitalization using Fisher test.
Table 9.
investigating the relationship between underlying disease and duration of hospitalization stay using Fisher's exact test.
Table 9.
investigating the relationship between underlying disease and duration of hospitalization stay using Fisher's exact test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
The result of Fisher's exact test |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Underlying disease |
Blood pressure |
32 |
12 |
44 |
970/0P-value |
History of surgery |
10 |
4 |
14 |
Epilepsy |
7 |
1 |
8 |
No disease |
261 |
96 |
357 |
Asthma |
4 |
1 |
5 |
Total |
|
314 |
114 |
428 |
|
According to the table, there was no statistically significant relationship between the underlying disease and the duration of hospitalization.
- 10)
Investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization and sensitivity or addiction
Table 10.
investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization and sensitivity or addiction using Chi-square test.
Table 10.
investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization and sensitivity or addiction using Chi-square test.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
Chi-square test result |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Addiction and sensitivity |
Negative |
297 |
100 |
397 |
87/5Chi-square= 015/0-value= |
Positive |
17 |
14 |
31 |
Total |
|
314 |
114 |
428 |
|
According to the table, about a quarter of the samples who were not allergic or addicted were hospitalized for more than 24 hours and 14 of the 31 patients with allergies or addictions were hospitalized for more than 24 hours.
- 11)
Investigating the relationship between hospitalization time and hospitalization in other wards
Table 11.
investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization and hospitalization in other wards.
Table 11.
investigating the relationship between duration of hospitalization and hospitalization in other wards.
|
|
Duration of hospitalization |
Total |
Chi-square test result |
24 hours |
More than 24 hours |
Hospitalized in other wards |
Emergency |
310 |
11 |
321 |
40/350 Chi-square= 001/0P-value< |
ICU 1 |
2 |
21 |
23 |
ICU2 |
1 |
36 |
37 |
Neurology |
2 |
46 |
48 |
Total |
|
315 |
114 |
429 |
|
According to the table, there is a statistically significant relationship between the variables duration of hospitalization and hospitalization in other wards
Discussion
The aim of this study was to evaluate abnormal findings in patients with mild cranial trauma referred to the hospital with a level of consciousness 13 to 15. In the present study, 445 patients with mild trauma were studied, that 126 persons (28.3%) were at the level of consciousness 13, 1 person (0.2%) at the level of consciousness 14 and 318 persons (5/5). 71%) were at level 15 of consciousness. According to a study conducted by Stiell in Canada, the average level of consciousness 15 in patients with mild trauma was 79% [
11]. Studies show that road accidents with 36.6% have the highest rate of cranial damage in patients and zhu.H study shows this consistency in the findings. According to this study, the three factors of accident were 14/1%, fall 5.6% and blows 9.1% (collision of objects - conflict) were the most common reason for patients to refer to medical centers [
12]. Findings of 445 patients with average age of 34.73 show that 57.8% of patients were male and 42.2% were female. Also, these statistics and the results of various researches show that the reason for referral is directly related to different cultural and geographical factors of the research place. Conflict is also one of the most important social issues in any society, the number of which is higher in men than women. Which depends on various cultural and social factors such as residence, employment, race, marital status, age and ethnicity, etc., and the results of the present study are consistent with the Miller study, in which 61% of the clients are men. Of this number of male and female patients, most of the clients are under 30 years old and in the second decade of their lives [
13,
14,
15]. Researchers believe that the reason for such similarities in demographic findings is more male activity in socio-economic fields, high risk behaviors in men, and the activity of the under 40 age group compared to other age groups. Also, different social groupings can sometimes lead to conflict among the population and violence [
16,
17]. According to the results of the present study, 11.6% of the patients had abnormal CT scans, which showed different brain lesions. Which is related to the results of smits studies which show 9.9% of brain damage [
18]. According to the results of Abdul Latip's study, lowering the Glasgow standard score from 15 to (14-13) increases the risk of brain damage in patients, that these people need more cranial tomography. Decreased level of consciousness is also directly related to the incidence of nausea and vomiting in patients, which can be an important factor for cranial X-ray in patients. However, since patients with GCS 15 do not have an urgent need for initial measures, it is recommended that brain scans of these patients be performed if there are symptoms such as loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, severe tenderness, etc. [
19,
20]. According to research by Roka et al., The most common symptoms in patients with cranial trauma were nausea and vomiting (57%) and headache (43%). Among 445 patients in this study, 52.8% of patients had nausea and vomiting and 46.1% had headaches that these people required CT scan due to specific clinical symptoms. But in other people the lack of specific symptoms causes ionizing radiation damage in these people. The results of the present study also show that people who did not have severe clinical symptoms did not have a problem with their tomography scan and did not need a CT scan and the doctor's order was only to document the patient's file [
21]. Given that performing CT scan in the early hours after head trauma can lead to the diagnosis of life-threatening factors in the patient and is effective in reducing mortality due to cranial trauma but CT scans can be very costly for patients and their families. Also, ionizing radiation from CT scans can cause cancer in patients. Therefore, in addition to reducing the level of consciousness in these people, it is recommended to pay attention to other clinical symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, severe tenderness, etc. [
22,
23]. In this study, out of 445 patients studied, 99.6% of patients underwent CT scan according to the doctor's instructions. This is due to hospital protocols to ensure that doctors diagnose and protect themselves from the dangers of misdiagnosis and exposure to the law. In the study of Lindor et al., 60 legal cases were examined in which the reason for the complaint was the lack of a doctor's order to perform a CT scan, which shows the importance of documenting the cases of patients with skull trauma that performing CT scan increase physicians' ability to respond to such cases [
24]. In a study by John.You et al., Participating physicians often cited fear of misdiagnosis and the resulting legal condemnation, often at the request of the patient or the patient's companions, as the most important reason for requesting a CT scan. Researchers have argued that people in the community have expressed unrealistic views about the ability of advanced medical equipment, Including CT scans for correct diagnosis [
25]. Among the 445 patients in this study, 73.4%, equal to 315 of them, were discharged in the first 24 hours and did not need hospital services. Of these 315, 313, ie 73.1% of patients with The doctor's orders released. This indicates that CT scans were not needed in these patients. And the doctor has performed CT scans for various reasons, such as: fear of complaining, hospital instructions, confirmation or rejection of brain lesions, as well as the speed of diagnosis [
26]. Research has shown that the risk of underlying disease increases the risk of injury in patients with cranial trauma. Also in the present study, 10.1% of patients had underlying hypertension, 2% had epilepsy and 1.1% had asthma [
27]. Among the patients who were examined, 26.6% of them were hospitalized for more than 24 hours, that this issue depends on various factors such as the patient's symptoms, her consent to attend or leave the hospital, the reason for referral and the severity of the injury. Also, this number of hospitalized patients shows that performing CT scans in hospitals is due to the completion of the case and the prevention of legal problems and its subsequent consequences. However, if there are strong and clear protocols according to which the doctor can diagnose the patient's condition based on the symptoms and request a CT scan if necessary and do not face legal problems, the number of unnecessary CT scans can be reduced and protected patients from the dangers of CT scans. Also, the presence of experienced physicians in the emergency department, due to their greater ability in early diagnosis and familiarity with dangerous symptoms, helps to reduce the number of CT scans requested. [
18,
28,
29,
30].