Injury and pre-hospital trauma care in Hanoi, Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
In Vietnam, injury is the leading cause of death in children under 18, and road traffic accidents are the fifth leading cause of death. Information systems for pre-hospital trauma care are insufficient.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to assess injury morbidity and mortality, and the existing level of pre-hospital trauma care in Hanoi city.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted in seven districts in Hanoi in 2006. We studied 2800 households (11,334 members), 9 hospitals and an emergency service centre.


RESULTS
The injury morbidity rate was 1134/100,000 (year(-1)), and the injury mortality rate was 23.7/100,000 (year(-1)). There was no significant difference in age or sex between injury severity levels (p>0.05). Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of injury. Causes of injury mortality differed among different age groups. Only 4% of injured cases were transported to hospital by ambulance. Fifty-two percent of victims did not receive first aid at the site. Pre-hospital trauma care was separately provided by the emergency service centre and hospitals. There was no communication network between the emergency service centre and hospitals, ambulances and hospitals, or between different hospitals.


CONCLUSIONS
The results reveal that injury is a major health problem in Hanoi and that the pre-hospital care system lacks both coordination and many vital components. Study results may assist decision-makers in identifying interventions to improve health and safety for the population of Hanoi.
Nguyen
Thi Lien Huong
TL
Division of Occupational Health and Injury Prevention, General Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, Ministry of Health, Alley 135 Nui Truc, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Viet Nam. huongtl_nguyen@yahoo.com
Nguyen
Thi Hong Tu
TH
Morita
Satoshi
S
Sakamoto
Junichi
J
D000061:Accidents, Home; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D055815:Young Adult