Prevalence of Road Traffic Accident (RTA) Cases Attends in Emergency Department of a Tertiary Hospital

Abstract

Background: Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) remain a critical global issue, inflicting significant human and economic tolls annually. These unfortunate occurrences not only claim lives but also inflict severe injuries, disabilities, and impose substantial social and economic hardships on the communities affected. Objective: In this study our main goal is to evaluate the evaluate the prevalence of Road Traffic Accident cases attend in Emergency Department of a Tertiary hospital. Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out at tertiary medical college and hospital from January’22 to June’23. While using systematic sampling technique, a total of 148 RTA cases were registered for the study. The cases or their attendants after obtaining informed and written consent were interviewed by using a semi structured questionnaire. Results: Throughout the study, the male population was the predominant demographic, and most patients (39.19%) fell within the above 40 age category. Among those above 40, 29.73% were male, while 9.45% were female. The prevailing injuries consisted of fractures and dislocations, affecting 42.58% of the total cases. Additionally, 29.05% of patients suffered solely from soft tissue injuries, and 19.59% endured head injuries. A smaller subset (7.43%) faced both soft tissue injuries and fractures, while only 1.35% experienced spinal cord injuries. The accidents were most commonly associated with CNG vehicles (28.38%), followed by auto rickshaws/vans (15.54%), bicycles (8.78%), and incidents during road crossings (9.46%). The management approach was personalized, with surgical intervention being the primary requirement in the majority of cases, while ICU support was needed for only a fraction of the patients. Conclusion: Based on our study findings, it is evident that fractures and dislocations were the most common injuries observed in road accident patients. The prominent sources of road accidents were CNG vehicles and motorcycles. Considering .....