Trauma unit admissions at the Ugandan National Referral Hospital: a descriptive study

Background: Injuries are a neglected epidemic globally accounting for 9% global deaths; 1.7 times that of HIV, TB and malaria combined. Trauma remains overlooked with key research and data focusing on infectious diseases, yet Uganda has one of the highest rates of traumatic injury. We described demographics of patients admitted to Mulago Hospital's Shock Trauma Unit within the Emergency Department. Methods: This was a retrospective record review Trauma Unit admission from July 2012 to December 2015. Information collected included: age, sex, time of admission, indication for admission and mechanism of trauma. Results: 834 patient records were reviewed. The predominant age group was 18-35 with majority of patients being male. 54% of patients presented during daytime with 46% admitted in the evening hours or overnight. Mechanism of injury was documented in 484 cases. The most common mechanism was Road Traffic Accident (67.4%), followed by assault (12.8%) and mob violence (5.6%). The most common indication for admission was traumatic brain injury (84.5%), followed by hemodynamic instability (20.0%) and blunt chest injury (6.1%). Conclusion: There's a significant burden of high-acuity injury particularly among males with RTAs as the leading cause of admission associated with Traumatic Brain Injury as main admission indication

Profil clinique et étiologique de l'infertilité féminine à Goma

Objectif : Une etude visant a degager le profil epidemiologique; clinique et etiologique de l'infertilite chez la femme a ete menee a Goma/RDC et ses environs; de janvier 2006 a decembre 2008.Methodologie : il s'agit d'une etude cas-temoins comparant les femmes consultant pour infertilite et les femmes fertiles (gestantes); au regard des parametres sociodemographiques; medicaux; sexuels; gynecoobstetricaux; chirurgicaux; et cliniques. Les patientes infertiles ont beneficie; en plus de l'examen gynecologique approfondi; d'une exploration systematique par l'HSG; les dosages hormonaux; l'echographie endovaginale et pelvienne. Le chi carre de Pearson ou le test de rapport de vraisemblance; et le test t de Student ont ete mis a profit pour l'analyse statistique des donnees.); de loin le plus preponderant; etait suivi par des troubles ovulatoires (41;0); les facteurs uterin et cervicovaginal etaient relativement moins frequents. L'etiologie etait multifactorielle dans 38;1 des cas. La preponderance du facteur tuboovarien suggere une grande implication des infections genitales dans la survenue de l'infertilite feminine a Goma. Resultats : 105 femmes infertiles et 108 gestantes ont ete examinees en series continues. Les patientes fertiles sont significativement plus jeunes que les patients infertiles (p=0;001). Bien que l'age au debut de l'activite sexuelle ne soit pas different entre les patientes et les gestantes (p=0;67); les patientes infertiles etaient caracterisees par une plus grande mobilite conjugale (p=0;015) et sexuelle (p=0;001); une plus grande frequence des antecedents d'infections genitales (p=0;00) et des interventions chirurgicales pelviennes; et par des symptomes suggestifs des sequelles d'infections genitales. Les facteurs etiologiques suivants ont ete identifies : le facteur tubopelvien (67;6

Application of multiple methods to study the immunization programme in an urban area of Guinea

During 1988-89, studies were conducted to evaluate the immunization system in Conakry, Guinea. The first, a health facility survey, found that health staff screened the vaccination status of only 30% of children who presented for curative care. A sterile syringe and needle were used for less than half of the injections. In the second survey, key informant interviews with vaccinators and health centre chiefs showed that there were minimal lines of communication between health workers and the community, but that health workers did not perceive this to be a problem. Focus group discussions in the community revealed a high level of general knowledge about vaccine-preventable diseases. However, mothers did not know how many vaccinations their children should receive or by what age they should be completed. They complained of long waiting times in health centres, the high costs of vaccination, poor rapport with health workers, and the occurrence of abscesses after vaccination. The final study, a "knowledge, attitudes, and practice" community survey, showed that missed immunization opportunities and inappropriately timed vaccinations reduced potential vaccine coverage by almost 30% among children with vaccination cards. Higher socioeconomic status, delivery in hospital, and whether mothers perceived the vaccinations to be affordable affected whether the child began the immunization series. Once a child had entered the immunization system, completion of the series was determined by the mother's education level, employment status, and experience with vaccination services