Variations in admission to hospital for head injury and assault to the head Part 2: ethnic group

This study retrospectively investigated variations in the use of secondary healthcare for head injury, particularly assault. A total of 25 300 emergency head-related admissions were examined over a two-year period, of which 3756 were assaults. There were seasonal differences according to ethnic group: far more injuries, particularly assault, occurred amongst the black and minority ethnic groups during the summer months and holidays. Black males had two to three times the rate of admission for assault than any other group. Among whites, females stayed longer in hospital after a head injury. White women stayed significantly longer than South Asian women following a head injury and South Asian men stayed significantly longer than white men after an assault. There are substantial seasonal variations and differences in the length of hospital stay after a head injury, particularly assault, depending on ethnic group. These differences require clarification and more detailed studies of head injuries ought to record the patient’s ethnic background.