Patterns of orthopedic and trauma admissions to a tertiary teaching and referral health facility in Kenya: Chart review

Tertiary hospitals in resource-limited countries treat patients referred but in most cases are the first level of care for the vast majority of patients. As a result, the tertiary facility effectively functions as a primary health care facility. The urban phenomenon of widespread self-referral is associated with low rates of formal referral from peripheral health facilities. Study Objective: To determine the patterns of orthopaedic and trauma admissions to Kenyatta National Hospital. Methodology: This was descriptive study design. Sample size was 905 patient charts for 2021 Findings The mean age was 33.8 years (SD 16.5) with range of 1 - 93 years. Majority 66.3% were between 25 – 64 years with those above 65 years being 40 (4.4%). Children 0-14 years comprised 10.9% of the admissions. Of the 905 admissions, 80.7% were accident and trauma-related admissions while 17.1% were non-trauma related admissions. About 50.1% were facility referrals while 49.9% were walk-ins. Majority of admissions were through Accident and Emergency Department 78.1%, Corporate Outpatient Care 14.9% and Clinic 7.0%. About 78.7% were emergency admissions while 20.8% were elective admissions. Approximately admissions 48.5% were due to Road Traffic Accidents, 20.9% due to falls and non-trauma related conditions represented 17.1%. Close to 44.8% were casual workers and 20.2% unemployed. Education level was also reviewed with 34.0% having primary education and 35.0% having secondary education. A significant proportion of female admissions (33.2%) were due to non-trauma conditions as compared to male admissions (12.8%) (p<0.001). Aadmissions for those aged 25 – 64 years were 3.5 more likely to have emergency admission as compared to those aged 0 – 14 years. Male were 65.1% less likely to have elective admissions compared to female (p<0.001). Those unemployed were 3.9 more likely to have emergency admission compared to businessmen/women. Vast majority (89.2%) of admissions were within Nairobi Metropolitan region