Emergency medical services (EMS) is defined as the system that organizes all aspects of care provided to patients in the pre-hospital or out-of-hospital environment. Hence, EMS is a critical ...component of the health systems and is necessary to improve outcomes of injuries and other time-sensitive illnesses. Still there exists a substantial need for evidence to improve our understanding of the capacity of such systems as well as their strengths, weaknesses, and priority areas for improvement in low-resource environments. The aim was to develop a tool for assessment of the pre-hospital EMS system using the World Health Organization (WHO) health system framework. Relevant literature search and expert consultation helped identify variables describing system capacity, outputs, and goals of pre-hospital EMS. Those were organized according to the health systems framework, and a multipronged approach is proposed for data collection including use of qualitative and quantitative methods with triangulation of information from important stakeholders, direct observation, and policy document review. The resultant information is expected to provide a holistic picture of the pre-hospital emergency medical services and develop key recommendations for PEMS systems strengthening.
ObjectiveBangladesh is currently undergoing an epidemic of road traffic crashes (RTCs). In addition to morbidity and mortality, the economic loss from RTC as per cent of gross domestic product is ...comparatively higher than in countries with similar socioeconomic conditions. However, trauma care remained poorly developed as a specialty and service delivery mechanism. This study aimed to examine the current situation of in-hospital trauma care after RTCs to inform the design of a comprehensive service for Bangladesh.Design, setting and participantsThis qualitative study attempted to elicit stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of managing RTCs through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Three districts and Dhaka city were selected based on the frequency of occurrence of RTCs. Fifteen in-depth interviews and 5 focus group discussions were conducted with 38 RTC patients, their relatives and community members in the catchment areas of 11 facilities managing trauma patients. Key informant interviews were conducted with 21 service providers and 17 key stakeholders/policy-makers.ResultsHospital-based trauma care was generally poor in primary and secondary-level facilities. There was no triage area or triage protocol in the emergency rooms, no trained staff for trauma care, no dedicated RTC patient register and scarce life-saving equipment. Only in Dhaka-based tertiary hospitals was trauma care prioritised. These hospitals follow Advanced Trauma Life Support guidelines and maintain an RTC logbook. Emergency diagnostic services were not always available in the hospitals. Most RTC patients were males; the female participants were additionally vulnerable to physical and mental trauma. Affected people avoided taking legal action considering it a lengthy, complicated and ultimately ineffective process.ConclusionThe trauma care services currently available in the studied health facilities are very rudimentary and without the necessary human and financial resources. This needs urgent attention from policymakers, programmers and practitioners to reduce morbidity and mortality from the current epidemic of RTCs in Bangladesh.
Background Injury is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide, accounting for over 5 million deaths each year. The injury burden is higher in low- and middle-income countries where more than ...90% of injury-related deaths occur. Despite this burden, the use of prospective trauma registries to describe injury epidemiology and outcomes is limited in low- and middle-income countries. Kenya lacks robust data to describe injury epidemiology and care. The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and outcomes of injuries at 4 referral hospitals in Kenya using hospital-based trauma registries. Methods From January 2014 to May 2015, all injured patients presenting to the casualty departments of Kenyatta National, Thika Level 5, Machakos Level 5, and Meru Level 5 Hospitals were enrolled prospectively. Data collected included demographic characteristics, type of prehospital care received, prehospital time, injury pattern, and outcomes. Results A total of 14,237 patients were enrolled in our study. Patients were predominantly male (76.1%) and young (mean age 28 years). The most common mechanisms of injury were road traffic injuries (36.8%), falls (26.4%), and being struck/hit by a person or object (20.1%). Burn was the most common mechanism of injury in the age category under 5 years. Body regions commonly injured were lower extremity (35.1%), upper extremity (33.4%), and head (26.0%). The overall mortality rate was 2.4%. Significant predictors of mortality from multivariate analysis were Glasgow Coma Scale ≤12, estimated injury severity score ≥9, burns, and gunshot injuries. Conclusion Hospital-based trauma registries can be important sources of data to study the epidemiology of injuries in low- and middle-income countries. Data from such trauma registries can highlight key needs and be used to design public health interventions and quality-of-care improvement programs.
Zanthoxylum armatum (ZA) a commonly used medicinal plant was investigated for phytochemical, anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects. Extract and total alkaloids from fruit and ...leaves significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the rectal temperature in mice. The effects of bark and root extracts were less significant. In writhing and tail flick methods both the extract and total alkaloids from fruit showed significant (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001) antinociceptive activity. The fruit extract and crude alkaloids showed significant (p < 0.01) lowering of inflammation of paw edema in mice. Crude alkaloids from fruit and leaves showed significant enzyme inhibition with lower IC50 values for 15 and 69 against COX and 21 and 62 μg/ml against LOX. This study rationalize the usage of this spice in traditional medicine for management of pain and inflammation involving LOX and COX inhibition as possible mechanism. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of various constituents which might contributed towards the pain and inflammation alleviation.
Zanthoxylum armatum; Fruits and leaves; anti-inflammatory; antinociceptive; COX; LOX; GC-MS analysis; Chemistry; Organic chemistry; Biological Sciences; Pharmaceutical Science; Health Sciences; Pharmacology; Alternative Medicine
Childhood injury is a neglected public health problem with a sizeable burden on children's well-being and their families. This study aims to describe the pattern and types of childhood injuries and ...to determine the level of mothers' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) towards childhood injury prevention in Lebanon. The study further examines the association between childhood injury occurrence and mothers' supervision.
This cross-sectional study recruited mothers of children aged up to 10 years from multiple sites (i.e., a medical center, a private clinic, a healthcare facility, and a refugee camp clinic). Data were collected on mothers' KAP toward childhood injuries using self-administrated questionnaires. A summation score for KAP correct answers was calculated and descriptive and statistical analyses were performed to measure the association between the outcomes.
A total of 264 mothers were surveyed and injury data were collected on their 464 children. The prevalence of childhood injury was 20% in the past 12 months, mostly sustained by males (53.8%) and children aged 5-10 years (38.7%). The most common type of injury was fall (48.4%), followed by burns (%7.5), and sports injuries (7.5%). Hospitalized children were more likely to be males and older than 5 years (p < 0.001). More than one-third of the mothers demonstrated poor knowledge, while the majority showed poor practice (54.4%), and fair attitude (45.6%) towards child injury prevention. Children of working mothers have three times higher odds of sustaining injuries (OR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.60;5.47) compared to those of non-working mothers, accounting for possible confounders (p = 0.001).
Childhood injuries represent a major health problem in Lebanon. Findings from this study showed that mothers are less knowledgeable and unprepared to prevent their children from getting injured. Educational programs are much needed to address the gap in the mothers' KAP toward child injury prevention. Further studies are recommended to understand the cultural context and examine its key determinants to identify effective strategies and develop tailored interventions for preventing childhood injuries.
Lack of data on traumatic brain injuries (TBI) hinders the appreciation of the true magnitude of the TBI burden. This paper describes a scientific approach for hospital based systematic data ...collection in a low-income country. The registry is based on the evaluation framework for injury surveillance systems which comprises a four-step approach: (1) identifying characteristics that assess a surveillance system, (2) review of the identified variables based on adopted specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-related criteria, (3) assessment of the proposed variables and system characteristics by an expert panel, and (4) development and application of a rating system.
The electronic hospital-based TBI registry is designed through a collaborative approach to capture comprehensive, yet context specific, information on each TBI case, from the time of injury until death or discharge from the hospital. It includes patients' demographics, pre-hospital and hospital assessment and care, TBI causes, injury severity, and patient outcomes. The registry in Uganda will open the opportunity to replicate the process in other similar context and contribute to a better understanding of TBI in these settings, and feed into the global agenda of reducing deaths and disabilities from TBI in low-and middle-income countries.
Limited data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the severity of road traffic injuries (RTIs) and their relation to different variables of interest are routinely obtained. Knowledge on ...this subject relies on evidence from high-income countries, which might not be the same as in LMICs. This information is greatly needed to advance and inform local and regional efforts towards the United Nations' Decade of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals.
From May 2012 to November 2014, a RTI surveillance system was implemented in two referral hospitals in two Mexican cities, León and Guadalajara, with the objective of exploring the relationship between Injury Severity Score (ISS) and different sociodemographic characteristics of the injured as well as different variables related to the event and the environment. All individuals suffering RTIs who visited the Emergency Rooms (ER) were included after granting informed consent. A Zero-Truncated Negative Binomial Model was employed to explore the statistical association between ISS and variables of interest.
3024 individuals participated in the study: 2185 (72.3%) patients from León and 839 patients (27.7%) from Guadalajara. Being male, in the 20-59 age-group, having less schooling, events occurring in Guadalajara, on Sundays, at night, and arriving at ER via public/private ambulance were all associated with an increased log count of ISS. Found a significant interaction effect (p-value< 0.05) between type of road user and alcohol intake six hours before the accident on severity of the injury (ISS). The use of illicit drugs, cellphones and safety devices during the event showed no association to ISS.
Our study contributes to the statistical analysis of ISS obtained through RTI hospital surveillance systems. Findings might facilitate the development and evaluation of focused interventions to reduce RTIs in vulnerable users, to enhance ER services and prehospital care, and to reduce drink driving.
Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) are one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide with 90% of global mortality concentrated in the low and middle income countries. RTI surveillance is ...recommended to define the burden, identify high risk groups, plan intervention and monitor their impact. Despite its stated importance in the literature, very few examples of sustained surveillance systems are reported from low income countries. This paper shares the experience of setting up an urban RTI surveillance program in the emergency departments of five major hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.
We describe the process of establishing a surveillance system including assembling a multi-institution research group, developing a data collection methodology, carrying out data collection and analysis and dissemination of information to the relevant stakeholders. In the absence of a road safety agency, the surveillance system required developing individual partnerships with industry, police, city government, media and many other stakeholders. Impact of the surveillance is demonstrated by some initiatives in the local trauma system and improvements in road design to effect hazard reduction.
We demonstrated that a functional RTI surveillance program can be established, and effectively managed in a developing country, despite lack of infrastructure and limitation of resources. Data utilization in the absence of well defined road safety infrastructure within the government is a challenge. More effective actions are hampered by the limited capacity in the transport and health sectors to do in-depth analysis through road safety audits and trauma registries.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Overall survival after an OHCA has been reported to be poor and limited studies have been ...conducted in developing countries. We aimed to investigate the rates of survival from OHCA and explore components of the chain of survival in a developing country.
We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study in the emergency departments (ED) of five major public and private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan from January 2013 to April 2013. Twenty-four hour data collection was performed by trained data collectors, using a structured questionnaire. All patients ≥18 years of age, presenting with OHCA of cardiac origin, were included. Patients with do-not-resuscitate status or referred from other hospitals were excluded. Our primary outcome was survival of OHCA patients at the end of ED stay.
During the three month period, data was obtained from 310 OHCA patients. The overall survival to ED discharge was 1.6 % which decreased to 0 % at 2-months after discharge. More than half (58.3 %) of these OHCA patients were brought to the hospital in a non-EMS (emergency medical service) vehicle i.e. public or private transportation. Patients utilizing non-EMS transportation reached the hospital earlier with a median time of 23 min compared to patients utilizing any type of ambulances which had a delay of 7 min hospital reaching time (median time 30 min). However, patients utilizing ambulances with life-support facilities, as compared to all other types of pre-hospital transportation, had the shortest time to first life-support intervention (15 min). Most of the patients (92.9 %) had a witnessed cardiac arrest out of which only a small percentage (2.3 %) received bystander CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation). Median time from arrest to receiving first CPR was 20 min. Only 1 % of patients were found to have a shockable rhythm on first assessment.
This study showed that the overall survival of OHCA is null in this population. Lack of bystander CPR and weaker emergency medical services (EMS) leading to a delay in receiving life-support interventions were some of the important observations. Poor survival emphasizes the need to standardize EMS systems, initiate public awareness programs and strengthen links in the chain of survival.
Trauma care in Oman: A call for action Mehmood, Amber, MBBS, FCPS; Allen, Katharine A., PhD; Al-Maniri, Abdullah, PhD ...
Surgery,
12/2017, Letnik:
162, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Many Arab countries have undergone the epidemiologic transition of diseases with increasing economic development and a proportionately decreasing prevalence of communicable diseases. With this ...transition, injuries have emerged as a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in addition to diseases of affluence. Injuries are the number one cause of years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years in the Sultanate of Oman. The burden of injuries, which affects mostly young Omani males, has a unique geographic distribution that is in contrast to the trauma care capabilities of the country. The concentration of health care resources in the northern part of the country makes it difficult for the majority of Omanis who live elsewhere to access high-quality and time-sensitive care. A broader multisectorial national injury prevention strategy should be evidence based and must strengthen human resources, service delivery, and information systems to improve care of the injured and loss of life. This paper provides a unique overview of the Omani health system with the goal of examining its trauma care capabilities and injury control policies.
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