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Patients often present to emergency departments for conditions related to interpersonal violence, including domestic violence, sexual abuse, child and elder abuse, and youth violence. Is this public health epidemic worsening? To find out, researchers in England analyzed admission records for all 120,643 patients who were admitted to hospitals for violence-related conditions from 2002 to 2006.
During the study period, admission for violence-related conditions increased by nearly 30%. Admissions were highest on Saturdays and Sundays. Most admissions (59%) were for assault. Patients in lower socioeconomic groups were affected disproportionately: Admission rates were six times higher for the poorest patients than for the most affluent. Males wer…