Oladele Simeon Olatunya1, Ayodeji Olusola Isinkaye2, Kehinde Sunday Oluwadiya3. 1. Department of Paediatrics, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. 2. Community Medicine, Federal Medical Centre. 3. Department of Surgery, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria ladeletunya@yahoo.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Injury threatens children lives worldwide. Most studies from Nigeria have been on accidental injuries in children. OBJECTIVES: To study the profile of non-accidental injuries among children receiving care at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. METHODS: Children with non-accidental injuries were serially recruited and studied. The Paediatrics Trauma Score (PTS) was tested against the outcome. RESULTS: Non-accidental injuries accounted for 0.84% of all 5264 patients and 21.3% of the 207 injured. The case fatality rate was 6.8%. Physical abuse, sexual assault, drowning/near drowning, gunshot, poisoning and human bite caused the injuries in 68.2, 13.6, 6.8, 4.5, 4.5 and 2.3%, respectively. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc analysis showed that the mean PTS score of patients who died was significantly lower than the scores of those who were either discharged home or who discharged against medical advice (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The burden of non-accidental childhood injuries was high in the study area.
BACKGROUND: Injury threatens children lives worldwide. Most studies from Nigeria have been on accidental injuries in children. OBJECTIVES: To study the profile of non-accidental injuries among children receiving care at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. METHODS:Children with non-accidental injuries were serially recruited and studied. The Paediatrics Trauma Score (PTS) was tested against the outcome. RESULTS: Non-accidental injuries accounted for 0.84% of all 5264 patients and 21.3% of the 207 injured. The case fatality rate was 6.8%. Physical abuse, sexual assault, drowning/near drowning, gunshot, poisoning and human bite caused the injuries in 68.2, 13.6, 6.8, 4.5, 4.5 and 2.3%, respectively. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc analysis showed that the mean PTS score of patients who died was significantly lower than the scores of those who were either discharged home or who discharged against medical advice (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The burden of non-accidental childhood injuries was high in the study area.
Authors: Adesola C Akinkuotu; Laura N Purcell; Linda Kayange; Michael R Phillips; Andrea Hayes-Jordan; Anthony G Charles Journal: Pediatr Surg Int Date: 2021-01-18 Impact factor: 1.827