Browsing by Author "Nwomeh, Benedict C"

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Injury Assessment in Three Low-resource Settings: A Reference for Worldwide Estimates
(Elsevier Science Inc , Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, Usa, Ny, 10169, 2015) Gupta, Shailvi; Wren, Sherry M; Kamara, Thaim B; Shrestha, Sunil; Kyamanywa, Patrick; Wong, Evan G; Groen, Reinou S; Nwomeh, Benedict C; Kushner, Adam L; Price, Raymond R
Background Trauma has become a worldwide pandemic. Without dedicated public health interventions, fatal injuries will rise 40% and become the 4th leading cause of death by 2030, with the burden highest in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of traumatic injuries and injury-related deaths in low-resource countries worldwide, using population-based data from the Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS), a validated survey tool. Methods Using data from three resource-poor countries (Nepal, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone), a weighted average of injury prevalence and deaths due to injury was calculated and extrapolated to low-resource countries worldwide. Injuries were defined as wounds from road traffic injuries (bus, car, truck, pedestrian, and bicycle), gunshot or stab or slash wounds, falls, work or home incidents, and burns. The Nepal study included a visual physical examination that confirmed the validity of the self-reported data. Population and annual health expenditure per capita data were obtained from the World Bank. Low-resource countries were defined as those with an annual per capita health expenditure of US$100 or less. Findings The overall prevalence of lifetime injury for these three countries was 18·03% (95% CI 18·02–18·04); 11·64% (95% CI 11·53–11·75) of deaths annually were due to injury. An estimated prevalence of lifetime injuries for the total population in 48 low-resource countries is 465·7 million people; about 2·6 million fatal injuries occur in these countries annually. Interpretation The limitations of this observational study with self-reported data include possible recall and desirability bias. About 466 million people at a community level (18%) sustain at least one injury during their lifetime and 2·6 million people die annually from trauma in the world's poorest countries. Trauma care capacity should be considered a global health priority; the importance of integrating a coordinated trauma system into any health system should not be underestimated.
Road Traffic Injuries: Cross-sectional Cluster Randomized Countrywide Population Data From 4 Low-income Countries
(Elsevier Science Inc , Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, USA, NY, 10169, 2018) Zafar, Syed Nabeel; Canner, Joseph K; Nagarajan, Neeraja; Kushner, Adam L; Gupta, Shailvi; Tran, Tu M; Stewart, Barclay T; Kamara, Thaim B; Kyamanywa, Patrick; Amatya, Kapendra S; Galukande, Moses; Petroze, Robin T; Nwomeh, Benedict C; Smith, Emily R; Haglund, Michael M; Benedict Nwomeh, Benedict; Groen, Reinou S
Introduction Road traffic injuries (RTI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. The burden is highest in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and is increasing. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of RTIs in 4 low-income countries using nationally representative survey data. Methods The Surgeons Overseas Assessment of Surgical Needs (SOSAS) survey tool was administered in four countries: Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Nepal and Uganda. We performed nationally representative cross-sectional, cluster randomized surveys in each country. Information regarding demographics, injury characteristics, anatomic location of injury, healthcare seeking behavior, and disability from injury was collected. Data were reported with descriptive statistics and evaluated for differences between the four countries using statistical tests where appropriate. Results A total of 13,765 respondents from 7115 households in the four countries were surveyed. RTIs occurred in 2.2% (2.0–2.5%) of the population and accounted for 12.9% (11.5–14.2%) of all injuries incurred. The mean age was 34 years (standard deviation ±1years); 74% were male. Motorcycle crashes accounted for 44.7% of all RTIs. The body regions most affected included head/face/neck (36.5%) followed by extremity fractures (32.2%). Healthcare was sought by 78% road injured; 14.8% underwent a major procedure (requiring anesthesia). Major disability resulting in limitations of work or daily activity occurred in 38.5% (33.0–43.9%). Conclusion RTIs account for a significant proportion of disability from injury. Younger men are most affected, raising concerns for potential detrimental consequences to local economies. Prevention initiatives are urgently needed to stem this growing burden of disease; additionally, improved access to timely emergency, trauma and surgical care may help alleviate the burden due to RTI in LMICs.
Surgical Care Needs of Low-resource Populations: An Estimate of the Prevalence of Surgically Treatable Conditions and Avoidable Deaths in 48 Countries
(Elsevier Science Inc , Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, Usa, Ny, 10169, 2015) Gupta, Shailvi; Groen, Reinou S; Kyamanywa, Patrick; Ameh, Emmanuel A; Labib, Mohamed; Clarke, Damian L; Donkor, Peter; Derbew, Miliard; Sani, Rachid; Kamara, Thaim B; Shrestha, Sunil; Nwomeh, Benedict C; Wren, Sherry M; Price, Raymond R; Kushner, Adam L
Background Surgical care needs in low-resource countries are increasingly recognised as an important aspect of global health, yet data for the size of the problem are insufficient. The Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) is a population-based cluster survey previously used in Nepal, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. Methods Using previously published SOSAS data from three resource-poor countries (Nepal, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone), a weighted average of overall prevalence of surgically treatable conditions was estimated and the number of deaths that could have been avoided by providing access to surgical care was calculated for the broader community of low-resource countries. Such conditions included, but were not limited to, injuries (road traffic incidents, falls, burns, and gunshot or stab wounds), masses (solid or soft, reducible), deformities (congenital or acquired), abdominal distention, and obstructed delivery. Population and health expenditure per capita data were obtained from the World Bank. Low-resource countries were defined as those with a per capita health expenditure of US$100 or less annually. The overall prevalence estimate from the previously published SOSAS data was extrapolated to each low-resource country. Using crude death rates for each country and the calculated proportion of avoidable deaths, a total number of deaths possibly averted in the previous year with access to appropriate surgical care was calculated. Findings The overall prevalence of surgically treatable conditions was 11·16% (95% CI 11·15–11·17) and 25·6% (95% CI 25·4–25·7) of deaths were potentially avoidable by providing access to surgical care. Using these percentages for the 48 low-resource countries, an estimated 288·2 million people are living with a surgically treatable condition and 5·6 million deaths could be averted annually by the provision of surgical care. In the Nepal SOSAS study, the observed agreement between self-reported verbal responses and visual physical examination findings was 94·6%. Such high correlation helps to validate the SOSAS tool. Interpretation Hundreds of millions of people with surgically treatable conditions live in low-resource countries, and about 25% of the mortality annually could be avoided with better access to surgical care. Strengthening surgical care must be considered when strengthening health systems and in setting future sustainable development goals.