JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Road traffic crashes claim 1.35 million lives and produce up to 50 million injuries each year, causing a major burden on health systems. Despite this high burden, many countries lack robust surveillance data on RTIs and subsequent disability.

Objective:

This study will characterize RTIs, disability, and related consequences affecting adult road traffic crash victims in five low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This research aims to estimate the role of demographic, crash-related, and treatment-related factors in predicting injury severity and disability. The study will also examine disability level among RTI patients, likelihood of return to usual activities, and the environmental factors that may influence these outcomes after discharge from the hospital.

Methods:

A prospective observational study will be conducted at selected hospitals in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Zambia. The study sample will include all adult RTI patients admitted to the hospital for at least 24 hours. Consecutive sampling will be done until the minimum required sample size of 400 is reached in each participating country. Data will be collected from patients or their caregivers using a hospital-based surveillance tool administered at the participating sites, as well as a telephone-based follow-up instrument administered one month, three months, and six months after discharge. Descriptive analysis and multivariate models will be used to estimate the contribution of a range of factors in predicting injury severity, disability and return to “normal life”.

Results:

Expected results include estimates of disability among road traffic injuries (RTIs) patients treated at nine selected hospitals in five LMICs, as well as identifying the predictors of injury severity, disability and the likelihood of return to pre-injury activities.

Conclusions:

Research findings will help identify the burden of RTIs and inform interventions aimed at improving the health care, social, physical, and policy conditions in LMICs that can facilitate recovery and rehabilitation for RTI patients, reduce the burden of disability, and enhance participation in society.