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War Wounded and Victims of Traffic Accidents in a Surgical Hospital in Africa: An Observation on Injuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

Martin Schneider
Martin Schneider*
Affiliation:
International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland
*
Correspondence: Martin Schneider, MSc Health Unit International Committee of the Red Cross 12, avenue de la Paix 1202 Geneva, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction

Weapon injuries in armed conflict are likely to receive medical attention. Other types of injuries, like traffic accidents, continue to occur during armed conflict.

Problem

Injuries caused by weapons and by traffic accidents require treatment, but reports and figures to help in prioritizing care are scarce.

Methods

In a prospective observational study, all emergency patients admitted to the surgical ward in a public hospital of the Central African Republic were evaluated for the cause of their main injury. The proportion of patients injured by weapons and by traffic accidents was analyzed with respect to the level of violence.

Results

Seventy-eight patients were included in this study. Weapon injuries accounted for 50 (64%) admissions and traffic accidents for 28 (36%). These proportions varied significantly according to the weekly level of violence (χ2=46.8; P<.001).

Conclusion

People injured in traffic accidents are an important, but overlooked, drain on surgical resources in low-income countries with armed conflict. Their proportion in relation to weapon wounded fluctuates with the level of violence. Humanitarian medical organizations might prepare themselves not only for weapon injuries, but also for wounds caused by traffic accidents.

SchneiderM . War Wounded and Victims of Traffic Accidents in a Surgical Hospital in Africa: An Observation on Injuries. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(6):618–620.

Keywords

Africaconflicttraffic accidentswar wounded
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2015 , pp. 618 - 620
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2015 

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