Morbidade por acidentes de transporte entre jovens de Goiânia, Goiás

Characterization of hospitalizations due to external causes in the public health system, Brazil, 2011

The aim of this work is to describe the characteristics of hospital admissions owing to external causes in the public health system in Brazil in 2011. Data from the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SIH/SUS) were analyzed to obtain the frequency, coefficient of hospitalization, and hospital morbidity indicators. Of the 973,015 admissions, falls (38.4%) predominated, followed by traffic accidents (15.8%). The estimated coefficient of hospitalization owing to external causes increased with the age, and it was higher in male patients and in the midwest region of the country. The average stay was higher in hospitalizations for traffic accidents (6.1 days) and assaults (6.0 days), while the hospital mortality rate reached higher values in hospitalizations for assaults (4.7%) and self-harms (4.0%). It is evident from the knowledge of the characteristics described the usefulness of hospital morbidity data for planning care actions and prevention of the external causes.

Demographic Profiles of Adult Trauma During a 5 Year Period (2007-2011) in Kashan, IR Iran

Background

Trauma, in addition to mortality and disability experienced by an individual, imposes direct and indirect economic and social costs on a community. Traditionally, trauma is a disease of young and middle age adults, an age group which is known to be the most dynamic and economically productive of the community. Increasing our knowledge concerning the etiology and patterns of trauma seems to be the most profitable and accessible way to prevent injuries of this nature.

Objectives

This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiology of adult trauma in Kashan, Iran.

Patients and Methods

The current study used a retrospective cross-sectional approach, enrolling all trauma adults (20 - 60 y) admitted to the Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, between 2007 and 2011. Age, gender, place of residence, work status, educational level, urban/rural location of the accident, method of transportation to hospital, injured body areas of the victims and therapeutic interventions, were extracted from the data registry and analyzed through descriptive statistics using SPSS software.

Results

A total of 22 564 patients were included in this study. Mean age of the victims was 33.18 ± 10.90 years and the male/female ratio was 4:1. Most of the victims were manual workers (61%), and they had completed primary and junior high school level education (49.4%), they were also more likely to be residents of urban areas (88.6%). Regarding the place of injury, most accidents occurred on city streets (43.8%). Approximately 40% of the total victims were transferred to the hospital by emergency medical services (EMS). During the study period, 260 deaths were recorded and among these, 76% were related to traffic accidents.

Conclusions

Regarding the high prevalence of trauma found in manual workers with low educational levels and motorbike users, the establishment of an integrated program aimed at improving public knowledge on the use of safety and protective measures in work environments should be implemented. The use of safety protective equipment by cyclists, motorbikers and car passengers should also be enforced.