title: Spatial distribution of traumatic brain injury cases seen at the trauma units of reference in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
abstract: An exploratory study was performed with patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the period from July 31, 2007 to August 1, 2008. The spatial distribution of the TBI cases seen at the trauma unit of reference in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil was analyzed. Both the residential addresses and places of occurrence were geocoded by means of GPS receiver devices. The spatial aggregation of cases was evaluated using the nearest neighbor hierarchical clustering technique in the CrimeStat® 3.2 program. TBI cases were not randomly distributed; rather, they formed clusters in relation to both place of residence and place of occurrence of the trauma. Many of the clusters were identified in areas far removed from the locations of emergency services as well as from the locations where multi-professional rehabilitation is offered. Thus, the spatial distribution of the health services, in relation to the places of occurrence of TBI, reveals inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Brasil.
authors.forename: Helena Fraga
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brasil.
authors.forename: Inês
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dourado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rita de Cássia Pereira
authors.initials: Rde C
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Social, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Guilherme Loureiro
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Werneck
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pos-graduação em Planejamento Territorial e Desenvolvimento Social, Universidade Católica de Salvador, Brasil.
authors.forename: Silvana Sá
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000600:supply & distribution; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Georeferencing; Craniocerebral Traumas; Spatial Distributions; Health Services Accessibility; Brazil