Masters Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collection

http://192.168.13.253:4000/handle/123456789/5942

Browse

Browsing Masters Dissertations by Subject "Accidents"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Childhood accident in Dar es Salaam
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 1981) Mgeni, Samwel Stima
    A total of 1051 childhood accident cases admitted to the Muhimbili Medical Center surgical andmedical pediatric wards over the period of 12 months of 1980 were reviewed to determine the pattern of childhood accidents and the influence of sex, age, social and environmental factors on their causation.Childhood accidents in 1980 occupied the 5th overall position in the hospital morbidity list, the other causes of morbidity being acute diarrhoeal diseases; respiratory tract infections other than TB measles, and low birth weight. The commonest form of accident (31%) was trauma and the other forms of accidents were, accidental poisoning (27%) accidents from foreign bodies (25%), and burns (17%). The commonest form of trauma was fractures and the other forms were head injuries, and a group of other injuries. The commonest mode of injury was falls, particularly from trees, and falls happening while the child was running. The commonest form (45%) of' accidental poisoning was kerosene poisoning the other forms of poisoning were due to drugs and chemicals (26%), food agents (23%) and a miscellaneous group (6%) of other forms of poisoning. In the majority of cases of accidents from foreign bodies the foreign bodies were seeds lodged into the nostrils and ears.Thecommonest form (82.4%) of burns were scalds, the other forms (17.6%) were due to open fires.The majority of cases in all the accidents except trauma, were under the age of 5 years and the peak occurred in the age group 1 - 3 years.In trauma, the majority of the cases were under7 years and peak occurred in the ace croup 5-7 years. A Male preponderance was noted in all the accidents.Remarkable monthly and diurnal variations in the occurrence of childhood accidents were noted for trauma, kerosene poisoning and burns only.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The pattern and trend of motor traffic injuries and their impact on health services in Kibaha District 1996-1999.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2000) Senkoro, Ahadiel Mahande Raphael
    An operational research was conducted in Kibaha district from 6th June to 31st July 2000, to describe the pattern and factors associated with motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) along the Chalinze - Dar es Salaam highway in Coast region, Tanzania. The study was based on a retrospective review of records obtained from Kibaha police station and Tumbi hospital from 1996 to 1999. Using a cross sectional study design, additional data were collected from motor related accident victims who attended emergency treatment at Tumbi hospital during the month of June and July 2000. A total of 584-hospital-based accident records and 48 police reports, compiled on monthly basis, were reviewed and 35 accident victims were interviewed. The study revealed that a total of 2102 MVAs occurred along the Chalinze - Dar es Salaam highway in Coast region from the year 1996 to 1999. The average was approximately 525 accidents per year and the trend was almost the same during the four years. Overall MVAs were responsible for: 83% of all accidents, 82.5% of all injuries, and 88.8% of all deaths. A total number of 2601 subjects were reported to be involved in MVAs during the four years. Males were more likely than females to be involved in such accidents, 80% and 20% respectively. The majority (77%) of victims were between the age of 20 and 39 years and approximately 20% were reported to have died. Pedestrians were at highest risk of dying of MVAs (38.3%) followed by pedal cyclists (17.9%) and motor-cyclists (25%) during the year 1999. Most of the accidents occurred during daytime (51.6%) when the road was dry (86.3%). Victims were significantly more likely to die from motor vehicle accidents occurring at night than during the day, 20.9% and 14.8% respectively (p< 0.05). Driving at night while it is raining was significantly associated with a threefold increased risk of dying from a MVA than during daytime. The Odds ratio was 3.23, and 95% Confidence Interval 1.76, 5.91). Three factors identified to contribute highly to motor accidents were over speeding (32.8%), dangerous /careless driving (23.7%), and mechanical defect of the vehicles 13.3%). Many casualties were caused by vehicle overturn (40.2%), vehicle collision (23.5%), pedestrian being knocked down (19.8%) and tyre burst (11.9%). The sites that were found to be more prone to accidents than others were Chalinze, Kibaha-Maili moja and Kiluvya. Availability of transport to ferry the road accident victims to hospital was facilitated by privately owned vehicles and police cars in 94.3% and 0.7% of the cases respectively. In all accident victims, first aid that was not available for any one of them starting from the time of the accident occurred until they arrived at the hospital. Injuries found to be life threatening were head injuries and intraperitonial hemorrhage that resulted in a hospital stay of 5 days and 12 days respectively. The trend of referring accident victims appeared to increase annually, from 3.7% in 1996 to 6.2% in 1999. It is recommended that traffic police, ambulance operators, bus drivers and conductors should be trained on how to give first aid to injured people. Buses should have first aid kits with gloves available. Also to control and prevent road accidents there should be a continuous promotion of public awareness and media campaigns on road safety, improvement of drivers competency, enforcement of road safety regulations and a clear national policy on road safety.