New study at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital characterizes pediatric ED visits attributed to contact with law enforcement
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical CenterIn a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (UH Rainbow) found injuries related to legal interventions, or contact with law enforcement, involving male teenagers is not an uncommon occurrence in the United States. The study analyzed the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) between January 2008 and December 2010 and found 15,613 emergency department (ED) visits were attributed to injuries due to legal interventions involving children. Most visits occurred among males (82.8 percent) and teens between 15 to 17 years of age (83 percent). A blow or manhandling (terms used to classify legal interventions which do not involve a weapon) were the most common types of legal intervention (76.4 percent). Close to 68.5 percent of all ED visits occurred in areas with low annual income household levels.