Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries Report From a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey of Sierra Leone Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries

Stewart KA, Groen RS, Kamara TB, et al. — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Objective

To use a nationwide household survey tool to provide an estimate of injury prevalence, mechanisms of traumatic injuries, and number of injury-related deaths in a low-income country.

Design

A randomized, cross-sectional nationwide survey using the Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need tool was conducted in 2012.

Setting

Sierra Leone, Africa.

Participants

Three thousand seven hundred fifty randomly selected participants throughout Sierra Leone.

Main Outcome Measures

Mechanisms of injury based on age, sex, anatomic location, cause, and sociodemographic factors as well as mechanisms of injury-related deaths in the previous year were the primary outcome measures.

Results

Data were collected and analyzed from 1843 households and 3645 respondents (98% response rate). Four hundred fifty-two respondents (12%) reported at least 1 traumatic injury in the preceding year. Falls were the most common cause of nonfatal injuries (40%). The extremities were the most common injury site regardless of age or sex. Traffic injuries were the leading cause of injury-related deaths (32% of fatal injuries).

Conclusions

This study provides baseline data on the mechanisms of traumatic injuries as well as the sociodemographic factors affecting injury prevalence in one of the world's poorest nations. It is anticipated that these data will provide an impetus for further studies to determine injury severity, associated disability, and barriers to accessing care in these resource-poor areas.

Investigating the Causes of Trauma: Critical Initial Steps to Designing Sustainable Interventions in Sierra Leone Comment on “Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries” Investigating the Causes of Trauma

Price R. — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The numbers of publications addressing road traffic injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa are embarrassingly a fraction of those examining human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS. Yet, trauma kills more people worldwide than human immunodeficiency virus, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Stewart et al are to be commended for adding to a growing body of evidence of the significant role injury plays in public health for a low-income country. Developing countries lacking public health interventions and access to timely and appropriate care continue to experience increasing morbidity and mortality from preventable injuries. Identifying the significant role injury plays in the overall burden of disease, and understanding the basic epidemiology in developing countries, provides an essential framework for designing life-saving interventions. In 1951, Learmonth said that

JAMA Surgery: Critical Care/Intensive Care Medicine Topic Collection

Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries Report From a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey of Sierra Leone Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries

Investigating the Causes of Trauma: Critical Initial Steps to Designing Sustainable Interventions in Sierra Leone Comment on “Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries” Investigating the Causes of Trauma