Demographics of paediatric trauma at a zonal referral hospital for northwestern Tanzania: A cross-sectional study

Introduction

Despite a high burden of paediatric injury (25 % of all presenting injuries) in Tanzanian studies, literature remains limited, especially in recent years, regarding detail of care provided for the injured child across different healthcare settings in the country. This study aims to understand and map the pediatric trauma burden and factors descriptively associated with pediatric injury at the zonal referral hospital, Bugando Medical Center (BMC), for northwestern Tanzania.

Methods

This study was a subgroup cross-sectional analysis of paediatric (ages 0 through 17) data collected from trauma patients who received care at BMC from March - August 2023, focused on paediatric-specific injury occurrence, injury characteristics, and location. Descriptive analyses of paediatric patient demographics, past medical history, prehospital characteristics, and injury characteristics across body system were conducted to understand the burden of serious injury in this setting. Geospatial analyses across region were conducted to understand patient density, triage level, prehospital care, and Euclidean distance from injury region to BMC.

Results

146 children were included in analysis. Almost all children were injured at home (42.5 %) or in a traffic crash (33.6 %), with more than half (56.8 %) in the highest (red) triage category. Nearly 70 % had received prehospital care from a healthcare professional. Head and maxillo-facial injuries were most the most common. Distance from Bugando Medical Center was associated with higher triage level but not with prehospital care.

Discussion

Paediatric injury in this referral hospital in northwestern Tanzania has distinct variations in referral patterns, injury locations and injury types. Efforts are particularly needed for head and maxillo-facial emergency support due to the predominance of injuries to these body systems. Regional variations in paediatric trauma incidence may represent a future target for outreach from this referral institution.