Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
UC Riverside School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2021 Jan 22;16(1):e0245779. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245779. eCollection 2021.
Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Data characterizing the burden of injury in rural Uganda is limited. Hospital-based trauma registries are a critical tool in illustrating injury patterns and clinical outcomes. This study aims to characterize the traumatic injuries presenting to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH) in order to identify opportunities for quality improvement and policy development. From October 2016 to July 2019, we prospectively captured data on injured patients using a locally designed, context-relevant trauma registry instrument. Information regarding patient demographics, injury characteristics, clinical information, and treatment outcomes were recorded. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted. A total of 4109 injured patients were treated during the study period. Median age was 26 years and 63% were male. Students (33%) and peasant farmers (31%) were the most affected occupations. Falls (36%) and road traffic injuries (RTIs, 35%) were the leading causes of injury. Nearly two-thirds of RTIs were motorcycle-related and only 16% involved a pedestrian. Over half (53%) of all patients had a fracture or a sprain. Suffering a burn or a head injury were significant predictors of mortality. The number of trauma patients enrolled in the study declined by five-fold when comparing the final six months and initial six months of the study. Implementation of a context-appropriate trauma registry in a resource-constrained setting is feasible. In rural Uganda, there is a significant need for injury prevention efforts to protect vulnerable populations such as children and women from trauma on roads and in the home. Orthopedic and neurosurgical care are important targets for the strengthening of health systems. The comprehensive data provided by a trauma registry will continue to inform such efforts and provide a way to monitor their progress moving forward.
创伤是全球发病率和死亡率的主要原因。关于乌干达农村地区伤害负担的数据有限。基于医院的创伤登记处是说明伤害模式和临床结果的重要工具。本研究旨在描述送到 Soroti 地区转诊医院（SRRH）的创伤性损伤，以确定质量改进和政策制定的机会。从 2016 年 10 月到 2019 年 7 月，我们使用当地设计的、与上下文相关的创伤登记工具，前瞻性地收集受伤患者的数据。记录了有关患者人口统计学、伤害特征、临床信息和治疗结果的信息。进行了描述性、双变量和多变量统计分析。在研究期间，共有 4109 名受伤患者接受了治疗。中位数年龄为 26 岁，63%为男性。学生（33%）和农民（31%）是受影响最严重的职业。跌倒（36%）和道路交通伤害（RTI，35%）是导致伤害的主要原因。近三分之二的 RTI 与摩托车有关，只有 16%涉及行人。超过一半（53%）的所有患者有骨折或扭伤。烧伤或头部受伤是死亡的重要预测因素。与研究的最初六个月相比，研究的最后六个月中注册的创伤患者数量减少了五倍。在资源有限的情况下实施符合国情的创伤登记处是可行的。在乌干达农村地区，需要采取重大的伤害预防措施，保护儿童和妇女等弱势群体免受道路和家庭中的创伤。骨科和神经外科护理是加强卫生系统的重要目标。创伤登记处提供的全面数据将继续为这些努力提供信息，并为监测其未来进展提供途径。
