Epidemiology of injuries in the Philippines: An analysis of secondary data

Background@#Injury surveillance is viewed as an important component of injury prevention. Several data systems in the Philippines exist but have not been analyzed together. Analyzing these readily available data can guide policy making.@*Objective@#This report aimed to describe the epidemiology of injuries in the Philippines using secondary datasets.@*Method@#Death data of 2013 from the Philippines Statistics Authority and injury surveillance data of 2014 from the Department of Health were obtained and recoded. Summary statistics were generated.@*Results@#Injured persons mainly come from the young age group. There were a higher number of males compared to females. Provincial variations in death rates for specific injury types existed. There did not seem to be an obvious pattern in injury occurrence according to month and time of day. High numbers of injuries were reported during daytime but admission and death rates peak at night. Injuries were shown to be an anatomically heterogeneous group with dominance in superficial injuries, head trauma, and hand fractures.@*Conclusion@#Analysis of secondary datasets revealed the epidemiology of injuries in the Philippines. Results have implications in health policy and injury prevention.

Healthcare-associated expenses due to injuries in the Philippines

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Injuries are common causes of hospital visits and deaths in the Philippines. The national healthcare-associated expenses due to these injuries have not been established.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To estimate the healthcare-associated expenses due to injuries in the Philippines. Methods. Review of patient charts and patient interviews were conducted in 21 hospitals in the Philippines. A convenience sample of patients was interviewed to ascertain other direct medical and non-medical expenses.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>RESULTS:</b> Median admission costs based on hospital bills were: road injuries: PhP10,192.25, poisoning: PhP4,402.00, burns: PhP6,521.53, animal-related: PhP5,105.92, other accidents: PhP7,545.71 and intentional injuries: PhP8,023.00. Based on survey, other expenses not stated in hospital bills include medical supplies (PhP4,000.00), diagnostic tests (PhP 2,000.00), and post-discharge expenses (PhP 1,000.00).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Expenses due to injuries varied according to cause. Admission expenses recorded in the bill were not the only healthcare-related expenses shouldered by the patient and accounted for 68.6-159.0% of the bill value.</p>

Estimating the social and economic burden of road traffic injuries in the Philippines

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Road traffic injuries (RTI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite underreporting, the scarce Philippine data suggest that RTI pose a significant health problem in the country. It is imperative, therefore, to accurately quantify the burden of RTI in the Philippines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> This study aimed to provide the first comprehensive baseline estimation of the socioeconomic burden of RTI in the Philippines for year 2014.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>METHODS:</strong> The study was a mixed method study design that utilized both primary and secondary data. These data were used to construct parameters needed for the modeling estimates. Measure of socioeconomic burden estimated were (1) economic costs, (2) disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and (3) healthy life years (HeaLY).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>RESULT:</strong> Estimated deaths due to RTI in 2014 were 12,336 translating to 454,650 years life lost due to premature death. Injury episodes from RTI were estimated to be 2,798,088 in 2014 with 186,174 leading to admissions, translating to 56,224 years life lost to disability. The total DALY loss due to RTI in 2014 was estimated at 510, 874, while healthy life years lost were estimated to be 76,215,477.4. The estimated deaths and injuries for that year equaled to direct medical cost of PhP 1.213 B, productivity loss due to premature death of PhP 24.620 B, and productivity loss due to illness of PhP 685 M resulting to a total economic cost of PhP 26.519 B to the society.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> The findings indicate that RTI is an important public health concern in the Philippines with substantial economic and health burden. Investing in preventive measures will likely yield significant economic and health gains for the Philippines.</p>