Epidemiology of injuries and poisonings in emergency departments in Iran

Medically important snakes and snakebite envenoming in Iran

Snakebite is a common health condition in Iran with a diverse snake fauna, especially in tropical southern and mountainous western areas of the country with plethora of snake species. The list of medically important snakes, circumstances and effects of their bite, and necessary medical care require critical appraisal and should be updated regularly. This study aims to review and map the distributions of medically important snake species of Iran, re-evaluate their taxonomy, review their venomics, describe the clinical effects of envenoming, and discuss medical management and treatment, including the use of antivenom. Nearly 350 published articles and 26 textbooks with information on venomous and mildly venomous snake species and snakebites of Iran, were reviewed, many in Persian (Farsi) language, making them relatively inaccessible to an international readership. This has resulted in a revised updated list of Iran's medically important snake species, with taxonomic revisions of some, compilation of their morphological features, remapping of their geographical distributions, and description of species-specific clinical effects of envenoming. Moreover, the antivenom manufactured in Iran is discussed, together with treatment protocols that have been developed for the hospital management of envenomed patients.

Auditing the status of prioritization of nursing actions in the trauma emergency department

INTRODUCTION

Patient assessment is considered as one of the key actions of nurses to provide professional services. Prioritizing the care needs based on the assessment could save patients' lives. Nurses should be able to prioritize patients' care needs and then, based on this prioritization, plan for patient life-threatening situations one after the other. The aim of this study was to audit the status of prioritization of nursing care for trauma patients in the trauma emergency department of Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj.

METHODS

This study was a quasi-experimental study (pre- and post-training) conducted using simple random sampling during the February to June 2021, in the emergency department of Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj. The data collection tool was a standardized checklist for prioritizing nursing care, which contained a total of 53 items. At the beginning of the study, 64 nurses (32 in the experimental group and 32 in the control group) entered the study and the experimental group was evaluated based on a standardized prioritization checklist. Then, the data were collected and after statistical analysis, based on the obtained results and examining the weaknesses, the intervention group nurses participated in an educational course for one month. The checklist assessment was performed again and the results were compared with the results of the first assessment (before the intervention).

RESULTS

The number of items requiring training in the experimental group before the intervention was 258 cases which decreased to 53 cases after training and this decrease was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, in the control group, the number of measures requiring training in the first stage was 220 cases, which in the second stage of assessment fell to 213, but this decrease was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

By auditing the status of nursing care prioritization in the trauma emergency department and providing training related to focusing on the identified weaknesses, nurses' skills to prioritize patients' care needs as well as the quality of nursing care delivery increased.

Hospitalization of unintentional fall injuries in Kuwait: a national database study

BACKGROUND

Accidental falls are a major cause of morbidity placing pressure on hospital capacity and utilizing costly services. Evaluating the burden of falls is key for planning, implementation, and evaluation of prevention strategies. To date, no studies have been published on accidental falls at the population level in Kuwait. We studied the burden of accidental falls on public hospital inpatient capacity in Kuwait and identified the subgroups with the highest utilization of inpatient service days.

METHODS

From the national database of inpatient hospitalizations, we selected hospitalizations of patients admitted to Kuwait's public hospitals for unintentional injury caused by an accidental fall from 1 January through 31 December 2016. We studied the number of inpatient service days (bed days), length of stay (LOS), and number of hospitalizations by age group, gender, and nationality. Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Chi square tests were used for comparison. Logistic regression was used to quantify the risk of prolonged LOS and fractures among fall-related hospitalizations.

RESULTS

Accidental falls were responsible for 2.9% of inpatient hospitalizations, 3.7% of inpatient service days (61,140 days) with an ALOS of 9.1 days in Kuwait's public hospitals in 2016. Accidental falls were responsible for 4.6% of older adult service days, and an even higher 5.6% of older women service days. In the age group 13-64, fall-related service days for non-Kuwaitis (5.7%) were more than triple those for Kuwaitis (1.8%) with a substantial percentage among male non-Kuwaitis (8.1%). The risk factors for exceeding the national ALOS for fall-related hospitalizations were female gender (OR 1.36), age 65 and older (OR 9.72), age 13-64 (OR 5.20), being non-Kuwaiti (OR 1.39), sustaining a femur fracture (OR 11.67), and undergoing surgery (OR 2.63). Fall-related hospitalizations associated with a higher risk of fractures were females (OR 1.22), patients 65 years and older (OR 5.09), patients aged 13-64 (OR 3.65), and non-Kuwaitis (OR 1.28).

CONCLUSIONS

Accidental falls impose a considerable burden on inpatient service utilization in Kuwait. This varies by age, gender, and nationality. To reduce this burden, prevention programs should target working-age non-Kuwaiti males and older females.

Predictors of completed suicide: Results from the suicide registry program in the west of Iran

Suicide is a crucial public health problem with a serious harmful impact on individuals, families, and societies. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the predictors of death or serious injury related outcome regarding this lethal phenomenon in Hamadan Province. In this registry-based study we used all of suicide attempt entered in Hamadan Suicide Registry Program from January 2016 to the end of 2017. Serious injury and death were considered as suicide worse outcome and its prognostic factors were examined using logistic regression model. From 2493 patients with suicide attempts in 5.61 % and 4.09 % of them, suicide behaviour led to serious injury and death, respectively. Males had 2.83 times higher odds of the worse suicide outcomes ([OR = 2.83, 95 % CI: 1.71, 4.68)], P < 0.001). Moreover, the odds of worse outcomes of suicide in individuals with low level of education, advanced age and with the history of suicidal ideation was significantly higher (P < 0.05). Among different suicide methods, the highest odds of suicide worse outcomes were related to self-immolation, falls, hanging, self-harm, poisoning, and drugs (P < 0.001). We found that the increase odds of suicide worse outcomes were associated with individuals advance age, low level of education, time of suicide attempt, previous history of suicidal ideation and choosing self-immolation, falls, hanging, self-harm, poisoning, and drugs as a suicide method.

Using modified Delphi method to propose and validate the components of a child injury surveillance system for Iran

PURPOSE

Child injuries are a public health concern globally. Injury surveillance systems (ISSs) have beneficial impact on child injury prevention. There is a need for evidence-based consensus on frameworks to establish child ISSs. This research aims to investigate the key components of a child ISS for Iran and to propose a framework for implementation.

METHODS

Data were gathered through interview with experts using unstructured questions from January 2017 to December 2018 to identify child ISS functional components. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis method. Then, modified Delphi method was used to validate the functional components. Based on the outcomes of the content analysis, a questionnaire with closed questions was developed and presented to a group of experts. Consensus was achieved in two rounds.

RESULTS

In round I, 117 items reached consensus. In round II, 5 items reached consensus and were incorporated into final framework. Consensus was reached for 122 items comprising the final framework and representing 7 key components: goals of the system, data sources, data set, coalition of stakeholders, data collection, data analysis and data distribution. Each component consisted of several sub-components and respective elements.

CONCLUSION

This agreed framework will assist in standardizing data collection, analysis and distribution, which help to detect child injury problems and provide evidence for preventive measures.

A study of mortality risk factors among trauma referrals to trauma center, Shiraz, Iran, 2017

PURPOSE

Trauma is well known as one of the main causes of death and disability throughout the world. Identifying the risk factors for mortality in trauma patients can significantly improve the quality of care and patient outcomes, as well as reducing mortality rates.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, systematic randomization was used to select 849 patients referred to the main trauma center of south of Iran during a period of six months (February 2017-July 2017); the patients' case files were evaluated in terms of demographic information, pre- and post-accident conditions, clinical conditions at the time of admission and finally, accident outcomes. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the role of factors affecting mortality among subjects.

RESULTS

Among subjects, 60.4% were in the age-group of 15-39 years. There was a 10.4% mortality rate among patients and motor-vehicle accidents were the most common mechanism of injury (66.7%). Aging led to increased risk of fatality in this study. For each unit increase in Glasgow coma scale (GCS), risk of death decreased by about 40% (odds ratio (OR) = 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.59-0.67). For each unit increase in injury severe score (ISS), risk of death increased by 10% (OR = 1.11%, 95% CI: 1.08-1.14) and for each unit increase in trauma revised injury severity score (TRISS), there was 18% decrease in the risk of fatality (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71-0.88).

CONCLUSION

The most common cause of trauma and the most common cause of death from trauma was traffic accidents. It was also found that an increase in the ISS index increases the risk of death in trauma patients, but the increase in GCS, revised trauma score (RTS) and TRISS indices reduces the risk of death in trauma patients. The TRISS indicator is better predictor of traumatic death than other indicators.

Socio-demographic factors associated with choosing violent methods of suicide, 2011-2016, Ilam province

BACKGROUND

In new strategies towards of suicide prevention the best approach currently is based on specific method had specific risk factors. Therefore in this study we aimed to find out the association between socio-demographic factors and methods in completed suicide, 2011-2016, Ilam province.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study, 2011-2016, was conducted. A total of 540 completed suicides were recruited to the study. Data were collected by systematic registration suicide data (SRSD) and Legal Medicine Organization (LMO). After performs of descriptive statistics, to analysis of effects of each independent variable to the methods Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) was used, also adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was used to reporting of associations.

RESULTS

According to the result (55.8%) of deaths were occurred by hanging and self-immolation also a majority of suicides were occurred in females (60%). The important methods in males and females were hanging (70.6%) and self-immolation (72.8%), respectively. The self-immolation vs. others was significantly higher in cases that have mental disorders (AOR) = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.78); also in cases with financial problem (AOR) = 2.70, 95% CI: 1.28, 5.71).

CONCLUSION

According to the finding age groups, gender, marital status, residence, and mental disorders are the important risk factors that effects on choosing of methods. Therefore consideration of this excess risk by this mentioned factors in prevention programs can be reducing the risk of death from suicide in society.

Injury patterns among various age and gender groups of trauma patients in southern Iran: A cross-sectional study

Administrative data from trauma referral centers are useful sources while studying epidemiologic aspects of injuries. We aimed to provide a hospital-based view of injuries in Shiraz considering victims' age and gender, using administrative data from trauma research center.A cross-sectional registry-based study of adult trauma patients (age ≥15 years) sustaining injury through traffic accidents, violence, and unintentional incidents was conducted. Information was retrieved from 3 hospital administrative databases. Data on demographics, injury mechanisms, injured body regions, and injury descriptions; outcomes of hospitalization; and development of nosocomial infections were recorded. Injury Severity Score (ISS) was calculated by crosswalking from ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) injury diagnosis codes to AIS-98 (Abbreviated Injury Scale) severity codes. Patients were compared based on age groups and gender differences.A total of 47,295 trauma patients with a median age of 30 (interquartile range: 24-44 years) were studied, of whom 73.1% were male and the remaining 26.9% were female (M/F = 2.7:1.0). The most common injury mechanisms in the male group were car and motorcycle accidents whereas females were mostly victims of falls and pedestrian accidents (P < .01). As age increased, a shift from transportation-related to unintentionally caused injuries occurred. Overall, young men had their most severe injuries on head, whereas elderly women suffered more severe extremity injuries. Injury severity was similar between men and women; however, elderly had a significantly higher ISS. Although incidence of nosocomial infections was independent of victims' age and gender, elderly men had a significantly higher mortality rate.Based on administrative data from our trauma center, male gender and age >65 years are associated with increased risk of injury incidence, prolonged hospitalizations, and in-hospital death following trauma. Development of a regional trauma surveillance system may provide further opportunities for studying injuries and evaluating preventive actions.

Incidence and cost of non-fatal burns in Iran: a nationwide population-based study

To determine the incidence and cost of non-fatal burns in Iran; this cross-sectional household survey of a nationally representative sample of 15-64 years old was conducted. Through face-to-face interviews and telephone calls, the data on the demographics, history and cost of burns were collected. The annual incidence rate of burns was estimated 129.85 per 1000 population. Burns occurred higher in younger age, female gender and urban residency. The most common burn description was as follows: unpaid work (activity during burn), home (place of burn), heat and hot substances (mechanism of burn) and upper limb (site of burn). The average total cost of burn includes victims seeking medical care was US$124 per case. The main findings of this study suggest that burns are a major public health concern in Iran. To stop this important health issue, a national program for burn prevention and education must be developed.

Analysis of Shahid Rajaee hospital administrative data on injuries resulting from car accidents in Shiraz, Iran: 2011-2014 data

PURPOSE

The administrative data from trauma centers could serve as potential sources of invaluable information while studying epidemiologic features of car accidents. In this cross-sectional analysis of Shahid Rajaee hospital administrative data, we aimed to evaluate patients injured in car accidents in terms of age, gender, injury severity, injured body regions and hospitalization outcome in the recent four years (2011-2014).

METHODS

The hospital registry was accessed at Shiraz Trauma Research Center (Shiraz, Iran) and the admission's unit data were merged with the information gathered upon discharge. A total number of 27,222 car accident patients aged over 15 years with International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) external causes of injury codes (V40.9-V49.9) were analyzed. Injury severity score and injured body regions were determined based on converting ICD-10 injury codes to Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS-98) severity codes using a domestically developed electronic algorithm. A binary logistic regression model was applied to the data to examine the contribution of all independent variables to in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

Men accounted for 68.9% of the injuries and the male to female ratio was 2.2:1. The age of the studied population was (34 ± 15) years, with more than 77.2% of the population located in the 15-45 years old age group. Head and neck was the most commonly injured body region (39.0%) followed by extremities (27.2%). Injury severity score (ISS) was calculated for 13,152 (48.3%) patients, of whom, 80.9% had severity scores less than 9. There were 332 patients (1.2%) admitted to the intensive care units and 422 in-hospital fatalities (1.5%) were recorded during the study period. Age above 65 years [OR = 7.4, 95% CI (5.0-10.9)], ISS above 16 [OR = 9.1, 95% CI (5.5-14.9)], sustaining a thoracic injury [OR = 7.4, 95% CI (4.6-11.9)] and head injury [OR = 4.9, 95% CI (3.1-7.6)] were the most important independent predictors of death following car accidents.

CONCLUSION

Hospital administrative databases of this hospital could be used as reliable sources of information in providing epidemiologic reports of car accidents in terms of severity and outcomes. Improving the quality of recordings at hospital databases is an important initial step towards more comprehensive injury surveillance in Fars, Iran.

Epidemiology and short-term mortality in traumatic patients admitted to Shariati Hospital in Iran between 2012 and 2013

PURPOSE

Trauma is an inevitable part of the health burden in every country. Both the preventive and rehabilitative aspects of traumatic injuries are expensive. Since most of the injuries happen in low- and middle-income developing countries, a judicious allocation of the limited resources to the most costefficient strategies is necessary. The present study was designed to report the causes of trauma, injured body regions, trauma severity scores and the one year survival rate of a randomly selected sample of trauma patients in a major referral hospital in Tehran, Iran.

METHODS

We chose and analyzed a random subgroup of traumatic patients admitted during the oneyear period of May 2012 to May 2013 to Shariati Hospital, a major University Teaching Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Patients who stayed at the hospital for less than 24 h were excluded. In total, 73 traumatic patients were registered. The mean age was (40.19 ± 20.34) years and 67.1% of them were male.

RESULTS

In general, the most common cause of injury was falls (47.9%), followed by road traffic crashes (RTCs, 40.8%). Assault and exposure to inanimate mechanical forces each were only associated with 5.6% of all injuries. The only cause of injury in ages of more than 65 years was fall. The most common cause of injury in ages between 15 and 45 years was RTCs. During the study, two deaths occurred: one was at ICU and the other was at home. The most commonly injured body region was the head (23.8%), followed by the elbow and forearm (19%), hip and thigh (15.9%), and multiple body regions (14.3%). The mean abbreviated injury score was 2.23 ± 1.02; injury severity index was 7.26 ± 7.06; and revised trauma score was 7.84, calculated for 38 patients.

CONCLUSION

Prevention strategy of traumatic injury should focus on falls and RTCs, which are respectively the most common cause of trauma in older aged people and young males.

Injury epidemiology in Iran: a systematic review

Background:

Injuries are the second greatest cause of mortality in Iran. Information about the epidemiological pattern of injuries is effective in decision-making. In this regard, the aim of the current study is to elaborate on the epidemiology of injuries in Iran through a systematic review.

Methods:

Required data were collected searching the following key words and their Persian equivalents; trauma, injury, accident, epidemiology, prevalence, pattern, etiology, risk factors and Iran. The following databases were searched: Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, MagIran, Iranian scientific information database (SID) and Iran Medex. Some of the relevant journals and web sites were searched manually. The lists of references from the selected articles were also investigated. We have also searched the gray literature and consulted some experts.

Results:

Out of 2747 retrieved articles, 25 articles were finally included in the review. A total of 3234481 cases have been investigated. Mean (SD) age among these cases was 30 (17.4) years. The males comprised 75.7% of all the patients. Only 31.1% of patients were transferred to hospital by ambulance. The most common mechanism of injuries was road traffic accidents (50.1%) followed by falls (22.3%). In road traffic accidents, motorcyclists have accounted for the majority of victims (45%). Roads were the most common accident scene for the injuries (57.5%). The most common injuries were to the head and neck. (47.3%). The mean (SD) Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 8.1(8.6%). The overall case-fatality proportion was 3.8% and 75% of all the mortalities related to road traffic accidents.

Conclusions:

The main priorities in reducing the burden of injuries include: the young, male target group, improving pre-hospital and ambulance services, preventing road traffic accidents, improving road safety and the safety of motorcyclists (compulsory helmet use, safer vehicles, dedicated motorcycle lanes).

Epidemiological Patterns of Road Traffic Crashes During the Last Two Decades in Iran: A Review of the Literature from 1996 to 2014

Context

Despite considerable attention given to health statistics of road traffic crashes (RTCs), the epidemiological aspects of injuries resulting from RTCs are not fully understood in Iran and other developing countries. The aim of this review was to study the epidemiological pattern and issues arising due to RTCs in Iran.

Evidence Acquisition

The scope of this study involves data from a broad range of published literature on RTCs in Iran. Data collection for this study was conducted by searching for keywords such as traffic accidents, traffic crashes, motorcycle accidents, motorcycle crashes, motorcycle injury, motor vehicle injury, motor vehicle crashes and motor vehicle accidents, Iran and Iranian in various databases such as Embase, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Magiran, Iranian scientific information database (SID) and IranMedex.

Results

This study comprised of 95 articles. It is evident from this review that a large number of severe RTCs occur due to collision of two or more vehicles and most of the victims are males aged between 30 and 39 years. Male pedestrian, drivers and passengers are more likely to be severely injured in comparison to females. One of the most prevalent causes of death among adults involved in the RTCs are head injuries and the majority of deaths occur prior to hospitalization. Mortality rates for RTCs are higher in summer, especially during midnight among all age groups. The most common individual and environmental risk factors associated with RTCs include lack of attention, getting trapped in the car, listening to music, fatigue and sleepiness, duration and distance and negligence of seatbelt usage while driving.

Conclusions

The findings of the current study will be beneficial in prevention of RTCs and its associated complications and hence will be vital for policy makers, health service managers and stakeholders.

The Effect of Trauma Intervention on the Satisfaction of Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department: A Clinical Trial Study

BACKGROUND

Patient satisfaction is a key determinant of the quality of medical care. Moreover, satisfaction can be used as a criterion for examining the adequacy of the care, health, and competency of personnel.

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to determine the satisfaction of patients receiving trauma care in the emergency department of a hospital affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This simple clinical trial was performed on 104 patients admitted for traumatic injury to an emergency department in Iran. Given that patients frequently enter an emergency department for care, the sampling of patients in the department was done on days that were randomly assigned to the study group. The experimental group received trauma intervention in four areas from their admission to the emergency department to their discharge from the hospital, and the control group received routine nursing care. The data were collected through a questionnaire that asked for demographic characteristics and then went on to ask about patient satisfaction. The satisfaction questionnaire was completed after the trauma intervention at the end of patients' stay in the hospital. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software and descriptive statistical tests and analytical tests (independent t and Chi-square).

RESULTS

The mean score for total satisfaction after trauma intervention in the experimental group (45.6 ± 3.69) was significantly different from that of the control group (32.01 ± 7.78) (P < 0.001). Therefore, the levels of total satisfaction in the experimental and control group were favorable and relatively favorable, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, trauma intervention increased satisfaction in patients admitted to the emergency department. Therefore, managers and personnel of hospitals and healthcare training centers are urged to implement trauma intervention in their hospitals or healthcare training centers.

Longitudinal assessment of injury recidivism among adults in the United States: findings from a population-based sample

Background

Repeated injuries, as known as injury recidivism, pose a significant burden on population health and healthcare settings. Therefore, identifying those at risk of recidivism can highlight targeted populations for primary prevention in order to improve health and reduce healthcare expenditures. There has been limited research on factors associated with recidivism in the U.S. Using a population-based sample, we aim to: 1) identify the prevalence and risk factors for injury recidivism among non-institutionalized adults; 2) investigate the trend in nationwide recidivism rates over time.

Methods

Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), 19,134 adults with at least one reported injury were followed for about 2 years. Reported injuries were those associated with healthcare utilization, disability days or any effects on self-reported health. The independent associations between risk factors for recidivism were evaluated incorporating a weighted logistic regression model.

Results

There were 4,136 recidivists representing over nine million individuals in the U.S. over a 2-year follow-up. About 44 % of recidivists sustained severe injuries requiring a hospitalization, a physician’s office visit or an emergency department visit. Compared with those who sustained a single injury, recidivists were more likely to be white, unmarried, reside in metropolitan areas, and report a higher prevalence of chronic conditions. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, urbanicity, region, diabetes, stroke, asthma and depression symptoms were significant predictors of recidivism. Significant interaction effects between age and gender suggested those in the 18–25 age group, the odds of being a recidivist were 1.45 higher among males than females adjusting for other covariates. While having positive screens for depression in both follow-up years was associated with 1.46 (95 % CI = 1.21–1.77) higher odds of recidivisms than the reference group adjusting for other variables.

Conclusions

We observed a higher recidivism rate among injured individuals in this study than previously reported. Our findings emphasize the pressing need for injury prevention to reduce the burden of repeated injuries. Preventative efforts may benefit from focusing on males between 18 and 25 years of age and those with comorbidities such as diabetes, stroke and depression.

Incidence of self-reported interpersonal violence related physical injury in iran

Background:

Violence is the cause of death for 1.5 million people in a year.

Objectives:

Our study aimed to estimate the incidence rate of self-reported interpersonal violence related physical injury (VRPI) and its associated factors in Iran.

Patients and Methods:

The sample included people ranged from 15 to 64 years old who were residing in Iran. A total of 1525 clusters were selected from the whole country. Six families were selected from each cluster via a systematic random sampling method. Then, the residential units were identified and the interviewers contacted the inhabitants. In the next step, one of the family members was selected by using Kish grid method. The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire and consisted of two sections; demographics and project related data. Face validity and content validity of our questionnaire were investigated based on expert opinions and the reliability was confirmed by a pilot study, as well. The inclusion criteria were considered for choosing the interviewers. An interviewer was assigned for each 42 participants (7 clusters). An educational seminar was held for the administrative managers (54 persons) and interviewers (230 persons) for a week. The field work was distributed among all 46 Medical Sciences universities in Iran. In each university, administrative issues were related to an executive director. Mann-Whitney U test and odds ratio were used to analyze the data with 95% confidence interval. α value was considered less than 5%.

Results:

The frequency of VRPI among 7886 participants was 24 during the last three months. The incidence rate of interpersonal VRPI was estimated at 3.04 per 1000 population (95% CI: 2.66-3.42) during a three-month interval in Iran. The incidence was 4.72 per 1000 population (95% CI: 4.01-5.43) for males and 1.78 per 1000 population (95% CI: 1.39-2.17) for females during a three-month interval. The mean (SD) of age of the participants with and without a history of VRPI were 26.5 (7.21) and 33.05 (12.05) years, respectively (P = 0.008). Considering the participants’ gender, 66.7% were males (OR = 2.66, 95% CI: 1.14-6.23). Khuzestan Province had the most VRPIs (25% of all VRPIs). Streets and roads were the places with the highest frequency of injury (50%). The most frequent injured organ was the upper limb (54.17%). The most prevalent type of injury was a superficial wound (50%). Finally, the most common place of treatment was home (45.83%).

Conclusions:

We determined the incidence rate of self-reported interpersonal VRPI for the first time in Iran based on a national survey. The injuries were more common among young men. We suggest consecutive national surveys with different data gathering methods and more sample sizes.

Types and causalities in dead patients due to traumatic injuries

Background:

Trauma constitutes a major public health problem in our country and contributes significantly to unacceptably high morbidity and mortality.

Objectives:

This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of trauma in dead patients referred to Shahid Rajaee Trauma Hospital, Shiraz, Iran.

Patients and Methods:

In a cross-sectional study, all patients with trauma admitted to our center were enrolled between March 2011 and February 2012. Age, gender, months of referring, causalities, and injured body parts of the victims were extracted from the data registry and analyzed.

Results:

A total of 9113 patients, including 7163 (78.6%) males and 1950 (21.4%) females were evaluated. Among them, 479 patients (5.3%) had died. There was a significant difference between the age of alive and dead patients (35.70 ± 0.18 and 45.44 ± 1.01 years, respectively (P < 0.001)). In addition, dead men had significantly higher percentage than alive men (83.7% and 78.3%, respectively, P = 0.005). The highest percentages of men and women who referred to our center and died were in September. Crashing by car had the most frequency of dead (247 cases) in referred patients and motorcycle accident, stabbing, and falling related injuries with 67, 36 and 26 dead cases were in the next ranks. Thorax injury had the most frequency between dead patients (53.2% of all dead) and the intracranial injury and trauma to extremities altogether were in the next ranks, which constituted more than 18.8% of all dead.

Conclusions:

Our data demonstrated that car and motorcycle accidents are the most important cause of trauma and thorax trauma had the most frequency among dead patients. Epidemiological evaluations and preventive measures such as this study should be conducted to provide valuable data.

A nationwide population-based study on incidence and cost of non-fatal injuries in Iran

BACKGROUND

Elucidating the epidemiological status of injuries is a critical component of preventive strategies in countries with high incidence of injuries, like Iran. Population-based surveys are able to estimate all types of non-fatal injuries.

OBJECTIVES

This study protocol is the core unit in describing Iran's national cost and epidemiology of non-fatal injuries, and also as a guide for other studies.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 1525 primary sampling units are randomly selected with probability proportional to size regarding the number of households in each enumeration area based on Iran's 2006 national census. Six of the households are randomly selected. One member of each household is chosen using Kish Grid tables. In all, 9150 subjects are selected. Data on demographics are collected. For each injury during the past three months, activity, place, mechanism, site, type and the place of treatment are coded to match the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision 2012 (ICD10-2012) classifications. Subjects are contacted via telephone to obtain data on cost of injury. Finally, sampling weights are calculated so that data for each respondent can be inflated to represent other individuals in Iran. Quality control and quality assurance issues are discussed.

DISCUSSION

Our objectives will describe the present impact and the future priorities of injury prevention in Iran.

The impact of environmental factors on traffic accidents in Iran

Background:

Road traffic crashes are the third highest cause of mortality in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of roadway environmental factors on traffic crash.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Iran between March 21, 2010 and December 30, 2010. The data on road traffic crashes were obtained from the Traffic Police Department records. These records were classified to control for the main confounders related to the type of crash and roadway environmental factors. Roadway environmental factors included crash scene light, weather, place of accident, the defects and geometrics of roadway and road surface.

Results:

The study included 542,863 traffic crashes. The proportions of road traffic crash which led to injury were 24.44% at sunrise and 27.16% at sunset compared with 5.43% and 1.43% deaths at sunrise and sunset respectively. In regard to day time accidents, the proportions were 20.50% injuries and 0.55% deaths. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the ratio of injuries and deaths were significantly higher at sunrise and sunset than those occurring during daytime (P less than 0.001). The highest rate of death (5.07%) was due to dusty weather compared to 5.07% for other weather conditions (P less than 0.001). The highest mortality rate (3.45%) occurred on oily surfaces (P less than 0.001). The defective traffic signs were responsible for 30,046 injuries and 5.58% deaths, and road narrowing accounted for 22,775 injuries and, 4.23% deaths which indicated that the roadway defects inflict most frequent injuries and deaths. The lowest (0.74 %) and highest (3.09%) proportion of traffic crash- related deaths were due to flat straight and winding uphill/downhill roads respectively (P less than 0.001).

Conclusions:

Sunrise, sunset, dusty weather, oily road surfaces and winding uphill/downhill road were hazardous environmental factors. This study provides an insight into the potential impacts of environmental factors on road traffic accidents and underlines the implementation of appropriate preventive measures.

Homicidal injuries during January and February, 2011 in Mansoura City, Egypt

Studies dealing with analyzing cases of violence are very important, as these can be prevented to a high percentage. The aim of this study was to analyze the pattern of homicidal injuries compared to other causes of traumatic injuries in the population of Dakahlia province-Egypt during January and February, 2011 through reviewing cases' primary reports. In addition, the present work aimed to document traumatic injuries during the 25th January Egyptian revolution, 2011 in Mansoura City. Reports were reviewed for the available data including age, sex, residence as well as type, site, cause and mode of traumatic injuries. Out of 2270 cases' reports, 63.3% were from the Mansoura University Emergency hospital. Among the cases, 77.4% were males and 54.3% were from rural areas. Assaults (28%) were the 2nd leading cause of injuries preceded by road traffic accidents (29.8%). The commonest reported injuries due to assaults were cut wounds, contusions, firearm injuries and stab wounds while the commonest areas injured were the head, hands and chest. Assault injuries especially firearm injuries were more frequent during and shortly after revolution. Guns which are prohibited by law and other sharp and pointed instruments were freely used, a condition that is highly preventable by enforcing stringent laws.

The pattern of injury and poisoning in South East Iran

BACKGROUND

Injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and even more so in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Iran is a LMIC and lacks information regarding injury for program and policy purposes. This study aimed to describe the incidence and patterns of injury in one province in South Eastern Iran.

METHODS

A hospital-based, retrospective case review using a routinely collected registry in all Emergency Departments in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran for 12 months in 2007-2008.

RESULTS

In total 18,155 injuries were recorded during the study period. The majority of injuries in South Eastern Iran were due to road traffic crashes. Individuals living in urban areas sustained more injuries compared to individuals from rural areas. Males typically experienced more injuries than females. Males were most likely to be injured in a street/alley or village whereas females were most likely to be injured in or around the home. In urban areas, road traffic related injuries were observed to affect older age groups more than younger age groups. Poisoning was most common in the youngest age group, 0 to 4 years.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides data on incidence and patterns of injury in South Eastern Iran. Knowledge of injury burden, such as this paper, is likely to help policy makers and planners with health service planning and injury prevention.

Large animal-related injuries in a rural population in northeastern Turkey

Animal-related injury is a serious health problem for people living in rural areas. This type of injury could be of great consequence and life-threatening. There are insufficient data regarding this issue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the causes and treatment outcomes of large animal injuries. We reviewed the medical records of 157 patients with large animal-related injuries in a State Hospital in Northeastern Turkey, between September 2004 and April 2007. Demographic and etiological characteristics of patients and injury and outcome data were analyzed. A total of 157 patients were included in the study. One hundred and thirty-two (84.1 %) of them were male and 25 (15.9 %) female. The mean age of patients was 29.1 years (range 3-83 years). One hundred and twelve patients (71.3 %) had horse-related injuries and 45 patients (28.7 %) had bovine-related injuries (P = 0.096). Twenty-one (13.4 %) patients were referred to a tertiary center due to their need for intensive care, whereas 1 (0.6 %) patient died. Large animal-related injuries constitute an important health problem for people living in rural areas. This type of injury could be serious and mortality could be observed.