Geospatial Mapping can be used to Identify Geographic Areas and Social Factors Associated with Intentional Injury as Targets for Prevention Efforts Distinct to a Given Community.

Background: Geographic information systems (GIS) have proven effective in studying intentional injury in various communities; however, GIS is not implemented widely for use by level I trauma centers in understanding patient populations. Our study of intentional injury combines the capabilities of GIS with a level I trauma center registry to determine the spatial distribution of victims and correlated socioeconomic factors. Methods: 1,099 out of 3,109 total incidents of intentional trauma in the trauma registry from 2005-2015 had sufficient street address information to be mapped in GIS. Comparison of these data, coupled with demographic data at the block group level, determined if any clustering or spatial patterns existed. GIS delivered these comparisons using several spatial statistics including kernel density, ordinary least squares test, and Moran's index. Results: Kernel density analysis identified four major areas with significant clustering of incidents. The moran's I value was 0.0318. Clustering exhibited a positive z-score and significant p-value (p

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