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Implementing a hospital based injury surveillance system in Africa: lessons learned

Diego E Zavalaa1, Simon Bokongo, I A John

  • 1Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico. dzavala@psm.edu

Medicine, Conflict, and Survival
|December 11, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Road traffic accidents and interpersonal violence are major injury causes in five African nations. This pilot project highlights the need for a sustainable public health strategy to address injury surveillance and prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Injury Epidemiology
  • Global Health Security

Background:

  • Injury surveillance is crucial for public health.
  • Limited data exists on injury patterns in many African countries.
  • A pilot project was initiated to address this data gap.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the implementation of a multinational injury surveillance pilot project in five African countries.
  • To compare injury patterns, focusing on road traffic accidents and interpersonal violence.
  • To identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for future injury prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

  • A multinational injury surveillance pilot project was conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia.
  • Hospitals in each country applied a uniform methodology using an injury surveillance questionnaire.
  • A total of 4207 injury cases were registered and analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Road traffic accidents accounted for 58.3% of all injuries.
  • Interpersonal violence was the cause of 40% of injuries.
  • Self-inflicted injuries represented a minimal proportion (1.2%) of cases.

Conclusions:

  • The pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of multinational injury surveillance in Africa.
  • Road traffic accidents and interpersonal violence are significant public health concerns requiring targeted interventions.
  • The findings support the establishment of a sustainable injury surveillance and prevention program.

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