Spatiotemporal trends in hospital morbidity indicators due to road traffic injuries in the state of Piauí, Brazil, 2010-2023.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze spatiotemporal trends in hospital morbidity indicators for road traffic injuries in the state of Piauí, Brazil, from 2010 to 2023. METHODS: This is an ecological, time-series and spatial analysis using data from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System. Trends in hospitalization rates, according to health regions and sociodemographic characteristics, were analyzed using annual percent change (APC) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), estimated by Prais-Winsten regression. Spatial clusters were identified at the municipality level using Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) maps. RESULTS: A total of 80,251 hospitalizations due to road traffic injuries were recorded. The mean hospitalization rate was 176.1/100 thousand inhabitants, showing an increasing trend (APC 5.72; 95%CI 1.04; 10.61), while case fatality (2.3%) remained stable (APC -2.42; 95%CI -5.07; 0.30). The mean hospitalization cost per admission (BRL 1,123.92) showed a decreasing trend (APC -3.17; 95%CI -5.57; -0.71), whereas the mean length of hospital stay (4.9 days) remained stable (APC -1.07; 95%CI -2.96; 0.86). High-high spatial clusters of hospitalization rates were observed in municipalities located in the Northern and Southern regions of the state. CONCLUSION: Hospitalization rates for road traffic injuries increased in Piauí, followed by a reduction in mean cost and stability in case fatality and length of hospital stay. Higher morbidity was concentrated in the Northern and Southern regions, suggesting a geographic shift of hospital morbidity toward inland areas.