Road Traffic Accidents Presenting to the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Road Traffic Accidents have emerged as the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. The burden of road traffic accidents has escalated gradually in Nepal and is a common cause of injury and trauma. The study aims to identify the prevalence of road traffic accidents in the emergency department. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among hospital records of cases admitted to the emergency department of tertiary care hospital between March to August, 2020. Ethical approval was taken from the ethical review board of College of Medical Sciences (reference number: 2020-035). Information was collected through pro-forma and hospital records. Convenience sampling was done. The data were entered in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24 and analysed using descriptive statistics. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results: Among 4050 cases presenting to the emergency department, 228 (5.6%) (4.9-6.3 at 95% Confidence Interval) cases of road traffic accidents were seen. The most common injuries involved were soft tissue injury 90 (39.47%) and head injury 77 (33.77%). Most patients admitted to the hospital were male 178 (78.07%) aged 21 to 30 years 79 (41.38%). The vehicles mostly involved in the accidents were motorized two-wheelers 120 (50.6%) and pedestrians 51 (22.4%). Conclusions: The prevalence of road traffic accidents was similar to the findings from similar studies. Strengthening the capacities of the pre-hospital care and emergency department is necessary along with preventive intervention in public to reduce such health burden.

Road Traffic Injuries among Patients Visiting the Emergency Department in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

“…Most of the injuries were in the form of soft tissue injuries in the present study which is similar to other studies from Nepal. 2,13 Except for a single case, all cases in the present study had either normal or mildly impaired GCS scores. However, when autopsy-based studies with fatal outcomes are reviewed, head trauma and thoracoabdominal injuries are more commonly reported.…”

“…We also found that two-wheelers were the most common type of vehicle involved in the accidents which is a similar finding when compared to other studies. 2,[7][8][9][10][11] In 2018, RTI was the leading cause of death among people aged 5-29 years globally, who were either pedestrians or two-wheeler riders from lowincome countries. 12 Various studies have also reported that male youngsters are more involved in RTIs when compared to females.…”

“…Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are one of the leading causes of Emergency Department (ED) admissions in Nepal. 1 , 2 Road injuries ranked first among adolescents aged 10-24 years and also in the 25-49 years age group between 1990 and 2019 as per the global burden of disease and injury study in 204 countries. 3 There is an increasing trend in the incidence of traffic injuries in Nepal in the past decade (2009-10 to 2019-20) with at least 15,554 cases reported in 2019 alone.…”

Traumatic Brain Injury among Patients Admitted in Neurosurgical Unit in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

“…In our study, the prevalence of traumatic brain injury among patients admitted to the neurosurgical unit was found to be 140 (40%) which was higher as compared to a study where the prevalence of head injury was reported to be 31.06%. 7 Because early identification of worsening brain injury may allow for more rapid and early intervention, patients with documented intracranial injuries often undergo frequent routine serial scans given that significant radiological changes may occur with minimal or no clinical and neurological changes. 8 The major goal 'detection before deterioration' and timely intervention is the key to serial CT scans.…”

Road Traffic Accident among Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

“…4 The most common risk factors associated with RTA are over speed, driving under influence, not using safety measures such as seat belts, helmets, and child restraints, poorly constructed roads, increased number of vehicles that are poorly maintained, unplanned urbanization and industrialization, motorization, overpopulation and fragile traffic rules. 5,6 The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of road traffic accidents among patients presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary care centre.…”