Pattern of injuries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A one-year descriptive study

Abstract

Background: Globally, trauma is recognized as one of the most life threatening public health problems. Traumatic injuries account for 12% of the global burden of diseases and are the third most important cause of overall mortality. This study was aaimed at assessing the burden of injuries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A one-year (July 2005-June 2006) retrospective descriptive audit of injuries in a public health facility of Addis Ababa using external causes of injury codes on district health information system. Results: During the study period there were 40,752 out-patient department visits, of which 956 were hospitalizations with 35 deaths occurring as a results of injury which accounted for 27% of all emergency and 3% of all regular visits, 5% of all hospitalizations and 3% of deaths. The patients were predominantly young males. Even though falls were the commonest causes of unintentional injury, road traffic injuries were the main burden of the health facility being the commonest cause among young male and also accounted for 61% of injury related admission, 52% of injury related death, and leading cause of repeated visits. A total of 44% of unintentional injuries were categorized under ‘other accidental causes', only 6 deaths were reported in the out patient department, and the conditions of one third of the patients at discharge were not recorded. Conclusion: The injury, especially road traffic injury, is the burden for health facility; there is a need for improving the way injuries are recorded and compiled.