Assessment Of Health Staff Response To Physical Trauma Patients In Uganda A Case Of Mulago National Referral Hospital
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Date
2024-07-18
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Unpublished Dissertation.
Abstract
Physical trauma is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide, and data characterizing the response of health staff towards physical trauma patients in Uganda is limited. This study aims to characterize the responses of health workers toward physical trauma patients presenting to Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) to identify opportunities for quality improvement and policy development. The study used a cross-sectional survey design and 96 questionnaires were administered to both health staff and patients to collect data and SPSS was used to analyze the data. The response rate was 92.7% and 7.3% was the non-response rate. From November 2023 to March 2024, data was prospectively captured on injured patients and health workers using a properly designed questionnaire and also conducted some interviews. Information was analyzed in line with the three objectives which were; i) To find out the impact of physical trauma on the socio-demographic characteristics of patients and health staff at Mulago National Referral Hospital; ii) To find out the responses of health staff towards physical trauma patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda. iii) To find out the consequences faced by patients due to physical trauma at Mulago National Referral Hospital at the Trauma ward.
Descriptive and bivariate statistical analyses were conducted. A total of 89 respondents were chosen of which 63 injured patients were treated during the study period by 23 health workers. The study established that the majority of the respondents were male (59.6%), the occupations most affected by physical trauma injuries were students (33.7%), and people within the age group of 30-40 years at 29.2%. The health workers gave first aid to patients on arrival at the hospital and recommended a professional in case of a serious injury. It was also found that the medical equipment used in the treatment and care of the victims was not enough. 88.4% of the health workers offer counseling services to patients who obtain any type of disability and also 76.9% do not follow up on the patients after discharging them. Falls (44.4%) and road traffic injuries (RTIs, 31.7%) were the leading causes of injury. Over three-quarters (71.4%) of all patients had a temporary disability. The lower body extremities were the most recorded body injuries at 55.6% followed by upper body extremities (30.2%) and the head/neck and face at 14.3%. It took about 30 minutes to one hour for most patients to arrive at the hospital where ambulances were used to transport severely injured victims and motorcycles (68.3%)were the most used to arrive to the hospital. In Uganda, there is a significant need for injury prevention efforts to protect vulnerable populations such as children and women from physical trauma on roads/streets and in the home. Specialized professionals like Orthopedics and neurosurgeons are important targets for the strengthening of health systems. The comprehensive data provided by the researcher will continue to inform such efforts and provide a way to monitor their progress moving forward.
Key Words: Physical trauma, Health worker responses, Injury prevention
Description
Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda.
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Citation
Unpublished Dissertation.