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Parents of children who suffer brain injuries are often surprised by the extent to which work and family finances are disrupted. In this paper, work and financial problems are described, predictors are identified, and ways to minimize problems are discussed. Eighty-two children treated at two Massachusetts trauma centres were given an extensive battery of medical, functional, and psychosocial tests during hospitalization. At 1 and 6 months post-discharge they were retested and their parents were surveyed about work and financial difficulties. Trouble maintaining regular work schedules and injury-related financial problems were common. At highest risk for work and financial problems were families of children with severe injuries who had four to nine impairments, along with children hospitalized > 2 weeks who were not discharged to home. Surprisingly, families with HMO coverage reported significantly fewer financial problems, and this relationship was not due to differences in socioeconomic status or injury severity. Health-care providers need to pay more attention to the potential impact of injury on work and family finances. Providers can help at-risk families muster child-care services, deal effectively with employers and insurance companies, and plan for the future.

Background: Rapid motorization bought a boon along with the curse of road traffic accidents toll. Injuries and deaths due to road traffic accidents (RTA) are one of the major public health problems across the globe especially in developing countries due to lack of comprehensive legislative measures. It will have immeasurable impact on the families affected by RTAs.Methods: A hospital based, cross sectional study with victims of road traffic accidents admitted in S.V.R.R. Government General Hospital, Tirupathi, as study subjects was done during June 2013 to May 2014 for one year where 820 victims of road traffic accidents were interviewed after taking prior consent using a predesigned questionnaire.Results: External injury was seen in almost all cases (97.9%) and 61.5% suffered grievous injury. Laceration, fractures and abrasion are the most common types of injuries found. Regarding anatomical sites, head injury is the commonest (68.8%). Majority of the victims suffered grievous injury during 6AM to 12 PM (66.2%). The proportion of grievous injury was most commonly found in victims who were hit by Unknown vehicle (84.6%).Conclusions: Road side medical assistance by their timely action can prevent the toll of RTA fatalities and disabilities. Studies on injuries help in developing improved personal protective gear and safety measures inside the vehicles through novel engineering technology.

Background: Road traffic accidents stand as one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity across the globe. Increase in the number of motor vehicles, poor enforcement of traffic safety regulations, inadequacy of health infrastructure, and poor transport facilities makes the situation still worse. The objective of the study is to know the role of victims and various risk factors related to RTA. To determine the association of risk factors with type of injury and to know the pre-existing medical disorders in RTA victims.Methods: A hospital based, cross sectional study with victims of road traffic accidents admitted in S.V.R.R. Government General Hospital, Tirupati, as study subjects was done during June 2013 to May 2014 for one year where 820 victims of road traffic accidents were interviewed after taking prior consent using a predesigned questionnaire.Results: Most of the victims were drivers (48.5%) followed by passengers (31.7%) and pedestrian (19.8%). No two wheeler driver was wearing helmet. 74% of the four wheeler occupants were not using seat belts. Among drivers and pedestrians, 29.2% were under the influence of alcohol and 12.7% were listening to music. 55.8% of the passengers felt that their vehicle was going with over speed. 17.1% & 11.0% of the participants had history of hypertension and diabetes.Conclusions: There is a need to develop integrated surveillance system to identify the road traffic injury burden and the causal/risk factors. Enforcement of stringent road traffic laws to bring down the burden of road traffic accidents.