Injuries and absenteeism among motorcycle taxi drivers who are victims of traffic accidents

Effectiveness of a Bleeding Control Course for Public Transit Drivers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

INTRODUCTION

In Dar es Salaam, mortality from road traffic injuries is roughly double the global rate. Most civilians are transported to hospitals by laypeople. We examined the impact of a bleeding control course among taxi drivers.

METHODS

Before-after study; participants were trained in hemorrhage control and equipped with a first aid kit. Primary outcomes were perceived bleeding control knowledge, perceived ability to apply bleeding control skills, and intention to intervene. Surveys were administered before, after, and 3 mo after training. Data were measured on a 1-5 Likert scale.

RESULTS

Among 186 participants, knowledge increased from 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.55-1.85) before training to 4.67 (95% CI 4.55-4.78) after training and was sustained at 3 mo 4.69 (95% CI 4.61-4.77). Ability to apply skills increased from 2.12 (95% CI 1.96-2.27) before training to 4.68 (95% CI 4.59-4.78) after training and was sustained at 3 mo 4.67 (95% CI 4.57-4.76). Intention to intervene increased from 2.69 (95% CI 2.47-2.92) before training to 4.66 (95% CI 4.55-4.76) after training and was sustained at 3 mo 4.57 (95% CI 4.48-4.67). 83 interventions occurred. Transport to health-care facilities occurred 58 times. Care was transferred to a doctor or nurse 39 times.

CONCLUSIONS

This course increased participant's perceived bleeding control knowledge, ability to apply skills, and intention to intervene. Participants utilized skills in the field, transported the injured, and handed off care. This course should be evaluated globally in similar contexts.

Profile of Facial Trauma Victims of Motorcycle Accidents: A Prospective Study

OBJECTIVE

To outline the profile of patients with facial trauma, victims of motorcycle accidents, treated at the Hospital da Restauração, Recife/PE, Brazil, from December 2020 to July 2021.

METHODS

The collection was carried out through questionnaire and analysis of medical records. Data were analyzed descriptively, as well as Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Among the patients, 88.6% were male, 47.5% were between 18 and 29 years old, and 59.6% lived in rural areas; 72.15% of the victims used the motorcycle for work and 43.52% were working at the time of the accident. Most victims did not have a national motorcycle license (62%) and were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident (60%), with 37.6% wearing a full-face helmet, 16.5% an open helmet, and 5.9% an articulated full-face helmet. Soft tissue injuries were the most prevalent. Zygomatic complex fractures were the most common facial fractures and were significantly associated with helmet use and type.

CONCLUSIONS

Most victims of motorcycle accidents are young adult men, without a regular driver's license and residing in rural areas. Preventive and educational actions and continuous traffic inspections are necessary to minimize these accidents.

The Impact of Musculoskeletal Injuries Sustained in Road Traffic Crashes on Work-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Musculoskeletal injuries occur frequently after road traffic crashes (RTCs), and the effect on work participation is not fully understood. The primary aim of this review was to determine the impact of sustaining a musculoskeletal injury during an RTC on the rate of return to work (RTW), sick leave, and other work outcomes. The secondary aim was to determine factors associated with these work-related outcomes. An electronic search of relevant databases to identify observational studies related to work and employment, RTC, and musculoskeletal injuries was conducted. Where possible, outcome data were pooled by follow-up period to answer the primary aim. Fifty-three studies were included in this review, of which 28 were included in meta-analyses. The pooled rate of RTW was 70% at 1 month, 67% at 3 months, 76% at 6 months, 83% at 12 months, and 70% at 24 months. Twenty-seven percent of participants took some sick leave by one month follow-up, 13% by 3 months, 23% by 6 months, 36% by 12 months, and 22% by 24 months. Most of the factors identified as associated with work outcomes were health-related, with some evidence also for sociodemographic factors. While 70% of people with RTC-related musculoskeletal injury RTW shortly after accident, many still have not RTW two years later.

Closed and Open Reduction of Nasal Fractures

AIM

The objective of this review was to determine the different types of surgical intervention in the management of nasal bone fractures, the outcomes, and complications associated with each intervention.

METHODS

A search was conducted using the PubMed and Cochrane Database of Systematic Review databases from January 1, 1997 until September 9, 2017. The search strategy was constructed using the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome framework with keywords related to nasal fracture and its treatment. Two sets of independent researchers performed the analysis. Qualitative analysis was performed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies and National Institute for Clinical Excellence methodology for randomized controlled trial checklists.

RESULTS

The 4276 titles were obtained from PubMed database alone. Exclusion was made based on the title, abstract and full-text analysis. Finally, 23 papers were included and analyzed. Of the 23 papers, 13 (56.5%) were retrospective record review, 2 (8.7%) were randomized clinical trial or a randomized study and 8 case series (34.8%). 16 (69.6%) studies addressed closed reduction, 3 studies (13%) on open reduction and 4 studies (17.4%) addressed both open and closed reduction. The main focus in the outcome in all studies was accuracy of the anatomical reduction of the nasal bones. Three studies (13.0%) reported restoration of function such as breathing comfort or release in respiratory obstruction and another 3 (13.0%) addressed both cosmetic and breathing outcomes. Residual deformity was the most described complications in the studies (30.4%). In general, most of the studies were not of high quality as they lacked in some key elements in the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies checklist.

CONCLUSION

Both closed and open reduction provided good outcomes in cosmetic and breathing. Septoplasty is recommended to be performed simultaneously with fracture reduction.

Mapping Rural Road Networks from Global Positioning System (GPS) Trajectories of Motorcycle Taxis in Sigomre Area, Siaya County, Kenya

Effective transport infrastructure is an essential component of economic integration, accessibility to vital social services and a means of mitigation in times of emergency. Rural areas in Africa are largely characterized by poor transport infrastructure. This poor state of rural road networks contributes to the vulnerability of communities in developing countries by hampering access to vital social services and opportunities. In addition, maps of road networks are incomplete, and not up-to-date. Lack of accurate maps of village-level road networks hinders determination of access to social services and timely response to emergencies in remote locations. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, communities in rural areas and some in urban areas have devised an alternative mode of public transport system that is reliant on motorcycle taxis. This new mode of transport has improved local mobility and has created a vibrant economy that depends on the motorcycle taxi business. The taxi system also offers an opportunity for understanding local-level mobility and the characterization of the underlying transport infrastructure. By capturing the spatial and temporal characteristics of the taxis, we could design detailed maps of rural infrastructure and reveal the human mobility patterns that are associated with the motorcycle taxi system. In this study, we tracked motorcycle taxis in a rural area in Kenya by tagging volunteer riders with Global Positioning System (GPS) data loggers. A semi-automatic method was applied on the resulting trajectories to map rural-level road networks. The results showed that GPS trajectories from motorcycle taxis could potentially improve the maps of rural roads and augment other mapping initiatives like OpenStreetMap.