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INTRODUCTION: A rib fracture scoring system (RFS) was proposed for risk assessment in hospitalized injured older adults. Development was limited to one site. PURPOSE: To validate the RFS for clinical utility in predicting outcomes in another hospital setting. METHODS: Retrospective cohort design. SAMPLE: Patients aged 50 years or older with rib fracture(s) (N = 81). SETTING: Level II trauma center. DATA COLLECTION: Trauma registry data (2002-2005). DATA ANALYSIS: Bivariate correlations, linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: While the RFS is associated with outcomes, explanatory value is low. Further research is needed to identify hospitalized injured older adults most likely to utilize health services.
Maxwell et al. (Sun,) studied this question.