This study measures the impact of motor vehicle trauma on hospital useage in the Central Indiana (Indianapolis) SMSA. Using a specially designed reporting form, hospitals in the region reported on randomly selected emergency room visits by type of injury. Data regarding severity, mode of arrival, disposition, time of day, day of week, were reported. A census of all ambulance runs in the region was conducted to determine the percentage of ambulance runs in response to a motor vehicle accident. From these two data sources the percent of motor vehicle trauma arriving by ambulance admitted to the hospital was calculated. Using data from the Indiana Hospital Association on the mean length of stay for motor vehicle induced trauma, the number of hospital admissions was converted to bed-days. It was estimated that in the Indianapolis SMSA, motor-vehicle trauma accounts for 68,591 bed days per year.

The Central Indiana Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc. contracted with The Institute for Research in Public Safety for an evaluation study of prehospital services. The statistics reported in this paper are derived from the larger data set collected under that contract. The cooperation of the Council Staff and participating hospitals is greatly appreciated.