title: Trauma in a Teaching Hospital Outpost: Comprehensive Health Centre, Okoyong, Cross River State, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Road traffic injuries and other forms of trauma have become a major health problem worldwide, but Africa is the worst hit. This study was designed to evaluate the characteristics of trauma injuries in order to offer solutions for planning in terms of policy formulation and implementation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Comprehensive Health Centre, Okoyong, is a rural outpost of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Calabar is located about 45 km away in a rural community close to the highway. Trauma patients seen from January 2004 to December 2004 were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 76 trauma patients were recorded. The ages ranged from 2 to 50 years (mean 26.1 years) with a male to female ratio of 3:1. Trauma was mainly due to road traffic injuries, 54 patients (71.1%) (motor vehicle - commercial in 28 patients and motorcycle in 26), followed by assault in 15 patients (19.7%). Laceration and abrasion accounted for 87.8% of injuries. The head and neck was the most common anatomical site injured in 49 patients (47%), followed by the lower limbs in 27 patients (26.0%). The injuries involved 39 passengers/pedestrians (72.3%), while a driver/14 cyclists (27.7%) ranked second. Mortality was 2.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trauma was mainly due to road traffic injuries. The development of rural trauma systems and improvements in road and traffic infrastructure would reduce injury, morbidity, and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. mauefas@yahoo.com.|Department of Surgery, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, G.P.O. Box 1891, Calabar, Nigeria. mauefas@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Maurice E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Asuquo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ugare
keywords: Highway; Rural setting; Trauma
references.citation: Traffic Inj Prev. 2003 Mar;4(1):9-16
references.pmid: 14522656
references.citation: Afr Health Sci. 2006 Jun;6(2):104-7
references.pmid: 16916301
references.citation: BMJ. 2004 Apr 10;328(7444):895
references.pmid: 15073079
references.citation: Trop Geogr Med. 1991 Jan-Apr;43(1-2):80-4
references.pmid: 1750135
references.citation: Eur J Emerg Med. 1994 Dec;1(4):167-72
references.pmid: 9422162
references.citation: BMJ. 2002 May 11;324(7346):1142-5
references.pmid: 12003889
references.citation: BMJ. 2002 May 11;324(7346):1139-41
references.pmid: 12003888
references.citation: Lancet. 2004 Jun 26;363(9427):2172-9
references.pmid: 15220042
references.citation: East Afr Med J. 2003 Sep;80(9):480-3
references.pmid: 14640170