Determining the accuracy of the Canadian hospitals injury reporting and prevention program for the representation of the rates of mild traumatic brain injuries in Quebec

Abstract

Introduction: The recent rise in mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) in the pediatric population has been documented by many studies in Canada and the United States. The objective of our study was to compare mTBI rates from the Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) in Montréal with population-based rates (Quebec mTBI rates). Methods: We calculated CHIRPP’s mTBI rates via two methods: (1) using all CHIRPP injuries as the denominator; and (2) using the number of children aged 0 to 17 years living within 5 km of either of two CHIRPP centres in Montréal as the denominator. We plotted CHIRPP’s mTBI rates against the provincial rates and compared them according to sex and age. Results: Whether using all CHIRPP injuries or the number of children aged 0 to 17 years living within 5 km of either CHIRPP centre in Montreal as the denominator, CHIRPP paralleled the fluctuations seen in Quebec’s rates between 2003 and 2016. When stratifying by sex and age, CHIRPP was better at estimating the population-based rates for the youngest (0 to 4 years) and the oldest (13 to 17 years) age groups. Conclusion: CHIRPP in Montréal proved a valid tool for estimating the variations in rates of mTBI in the population. This suggests that CHIRPP could also be used to estimate population-based rates of other types of injuries.