RESUMO
The characteristics of patients with non-fatal road traffic injuries who received care from non-referral hospitals are described; an assessment of the difference between the characteristics of patients who received care at a referral hospital and those of patients who were treated at non-referral hospitals is made. A retrospective study, conducted in Chon Buri Province, Thailand, reviewed information from two sources: 324 records from eight non-referral hospitals and the 1999 Injury Surveillance Report of Chon Buri Hospital, a referral hospital. A data collection tool was designed to retrieve information from the non-referral hospitals. Data were analysed descriptively and analytically. The majority of the patients of the non-referral hospitals were male (71.1%) motorcyclists (84.2%), and received ambulatory care (83.9%). Young patients had a higher risk of being admitted to these hospitals. Non-motorcyclists, pedestrians, and nonlocal persons were more likely to receive care from the referral hospital. The results were similar to those of previous studies. The different characteristics of patients who receive care at referral--and non-referral hospitals need to be taken into account when designing traffic accident reduction programs.