Child Fatalities in Dammam: A Call for Child Fatality Reviews in Arab Countries

Alsaif, Dalia; Almadani, Osama M.; Almoghannam, Salah Ali; Hamdi, Dina; Al-Farayedhi, Maram A.; Kharosha, Magdy Abdel Azim

doi:10.1111/1556-4029.13685

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…However, the rate was exceptionally high among more critical cases such as ICU burns (25.3%) and head injuries (14.7%), followed by fractures (8.3%). Correspondingly, a study on childhood mortality in the eastern region showed that half of the deaths (51%) were attributed to accidents, with male children representing 69% of the cases [ 58 ]. In addition, the autopsy has revealed that head injury was the leading cause of death (27%) among the autopsied cases [ 58 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Correspondingly, a study on childhood mortality in the eastern region showed that half of the deaths (51%) were attributed to accidents, with male children representing 69% of the cases [ 58 ]. In addition, the autopsy has revealed that head injury was the leading cause of death (27%) among the autopsied cases [ 58 ]. These are high rates, and national actions need to be undertaken to reduce them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Epidemiology of childhood injuries in Saudi Arabia: a scoping review

Albedewi

Al-Saud

Kashkary³

et al. 2021

BMC Pediatr

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Background Injury is the leading cause of death among Saudi children. Despite that, much remains unknown on the epidemiology and the extent of burden. This scoping review aims to describe previous literature on injury burden, including types, causes, and outcomes. Methods We conducted a scoping literature search of English published articles on injuries among Saudi children between 0 to 18 years old using Scopus, MEDLINE, and Web of Science between January 2000 and December 2020. The primary outcome was the type and the cause of childhood injuries. Data extraction was based on specified data elements that included study characteristics and epidemiological parameters. The STROBE checklist was used to assess the quality of publications. Results The initial review identified 3,384 studies. Of which, 36 studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 20,136 children were included; of them, 69% were males. Among studies that examined overall injuries, falls represented 31.9%, while 25.1% were due to Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC). The leading cause of fractures was falls (37.9%), followed by MVC (21.5%). The leading cause was flames (52.1%) followed by scald (36.4%) for burns. While for poisoning, medications were the leading cause of (39.9%), followed by toxic household products (25.7%). Weighted mortality rates were 5.2% for overall injuries, 8.3% for fractures of the skull and spine, and 17.4% for burns. Conclusions MVC and falls are associated with the highest share of injuries in the kingdom. These findings can guide prevention efforts to reduce injury burden and improve population health. Further population-based research is warranted to explore the determinants of childhood injuries across all regions of Saudi Arabia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of childhood injuries in Saudi Arabia: a scoping review

Albedewi

Al-Saud

Kashkary³

et al. 2021

BMC Pediatr

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“…Of the 157 suspected criminal referrals, only 33% underwent an autopsy, and accidental death (injuries) was the most common cause, accounting for 51%. The circumstances of the deaths are reported as follows: accidental drowning is the most common (23%), followed by firearms (10%), hanging (8%), and abuse (6%) [ 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child mortality in Saudi Arabia

Almuneef

Saleheen

AlBuhairan

et al. 2021

International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

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Background and Objectives Although child mortality is declining in Saudi Arabia, new trends and causes are emerging. The objective of the study is to determine the causes of child death in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia and to identify its preventable causes and associated risk factors. Methods A modified UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was used to analyze all deaths among children under the age of 18 which occurred at the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) between 2010 and 2016. Results After reviewing all the death charts of 1138 children, the team determined that 15% (172) of all deaths could have been prevented and the preventability increased with age. Only 2% of the neonates died of preventable causes, while 53% of the children of 6 years of age or older died of preventable causes. The highest percentage of preventable deaths occurred in children aged 13–18 years (39.3%), followed by the age group of 6–12 years (32.4%) and the age group of 29 days to 5 years (13.9%). All 966 (85%) deaths from biological causes were considered to be unpreventable. Among the preventable causes, 142 (82.5%) had injuries and 30 (17.4%) were sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) with no documented autopsy or death scene investigation, and thus it was considered preventable by the researchers. The 5 major causes of deaths secondary to injuries were motor vehicle accidents (MVA) accounting for 86 deaths (60.6%), followed by drowning accounting for 19 deaths (13.4%), child maltreatment accounting for 13 deaths (9.2%), fire and weapon accounting for 12 deaths (8.5%), and finally home accident (fall, poisoning, suffocation) accounting for 12 deaths (8.5%). Conclusion The State Child Death Reviews Board should thoroughly investigate deaths due to SUID and injuries by identifying the factors that contribute to the implementation of preventive strategies.

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“…Examples of countries with child and family violence review teams are England and Wales, Australia, New Zealand (Fraser et al, 2014; Vincent, 2014), Ireland (Buckley & O’Nolan, 2014), and the Netherlands (Liem & Koenraadt, 2008). Other countries, such as China (Chang et al, 2011), South Africa (Abrahams et al, 2016), Saudi Arabia (Alsaif et al, 2018), and France (Makhlouf & Rambaud, 2014), conduct medicolegal child and family violence examinations. Saudi Arabia (Alsaif et al, 2018) and Japan (Okuyama, 2006) have suggested implementing child maltreatment FRTs.…”

Section: Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other countries, such as China (Chang et al, 2011), South Africa (Abrahams et al, 2016), Saudi Arabia (Alsaif et al, 2018), and France (Makhlouf & Rambaud, 2014), conduct medicolegal child and family violence examinations. Saudi Arabia (Alsaif et al, 2018) and Japan (Okuyama, 2006) have suggested implementing child maltreatment FRTs.…”

Section: Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Maltreatment Fatality Review: Purposes, Processes, Outcomes, and Challenges

McCarroll

Fisher

Cozza

et al. 2020

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Better understanding of the causes and circumstances of maltreatment deaths of children is needed to prevent tragedy. The purpose of this article is to facilitate understanding of child maltreatment fatality review processes and their outcomes. A literature review was conducted through searches of the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE and through citations in publications. Over 165 publications were reviewed and 55 were selected for inclusion. Papers were from the United States, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, France, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and China. These were included if they described fatality review goals, authority, procedures, and outcomes. Although we searched databases on a continual basis during the preparation of this review, we could have missed publications, particularly those in newspapers and journals that are not included in large-scale databases or cited in other articles. Improvement of fatality review requires diligence by individuals and organizations that provide information to the reviewers. Among challenges to the review process are varying criteria for review, misclassifications of the manner of death, inadequate or incomplete forensic and medical investigations, lack of information about the perpetrator, diversity of the community, concealment of the cause of death by parents or other caregivers, and disagreement among reviewers about the results of their inquiries. Institutional challenges are also present, which include the need for funding, privacy issues on obtaining information, updating reviewer training, lack of follow-up by institutional authorities on the recommendations of the reviews, and research facilitating the review of maltreatment fatalities.

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Child Fatalities in Dammam: A Call for Child Fatality Reviews in Arab Countries

Cited by 9 publications

References 27 publications

Epidemiology of childhood injuries in Saudi Arabia: a scoping review

Epidemiology of childhood injuries in Saudi Arabia: a scoping review

Child mortality in Saudi Arabia

Child Maltreatment Fatality Review: Purposes, Processes, Outcomes, and Challenges

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