Statement of Purpose Trauma recidivists are patients who present to an emergency room or trauma center on more than one occasion for different incidents of traumatic injury. Although a major public health issue, there has not yet been a systemic review of the literature that synthesizes our understanding of correlates of trauma recidivism. The purpose of this presentation is to report on the findings of a systematic review of the trauma recidivism literature. This oral presentation focuses on the methodological findings and recommendations that resulted from the review.

Methods/Approach 13 data bases were searched from inception to 2017 for studies that explicitly compared hospital-based trauma recidivists to non-recidivists. The search was conducted using PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews.

Results Screening resulted in the selection of 29 studies that met the inclusion criteria.

Conclusions The literature review generated findings that could inform the quality of research among victims of violent injury. Methodological considerations to consider include, a) identifying a common ‘recidivism window’ that allows detection of patients who are at risk for recidivism, b) disaggregate patients by epochs informed by the human development literature, and c) improving on mixed method methodologies.

Significance and Contributions to Injury and Violence Prevention Science Social science concepts and methodology coupled with medical/victim research can help provide a deeper understanding of the meanings and processes that shape both health research and the behaviors of patients that lead to subsequent re-injury. Insights from this research and the collaborations that stem from it can guide the design of health care delivery practices and interventions that acknowledge and adapt to social, cultural, and economic barriers; harness social mechanisms to increase their effectiveness; or even attempt to manipulate social and cultural determinants of health directly.