Citation

Lamawansa M, Piyathilake A. Indian J. Community Med. 2008; 33(4): 238-242.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine, Publisher MedKnow)

DOI

10.4103/0970-0218.43229

PMID

19876497

PMCID

PMC2763689

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Injuries account for approximately 11% of all hospital admissions in Sri Lanka. However, no published data are available with regard to the community incidence of injuries in Sri Lanka. OBJECTIVES: To determine the community incidence of major intentional and unintentional physical injuries in a rural community in Sri Lanka. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rural community consisting of 225 families with 1029 inhabitants was studied. Data on major injuries for a period of one year were collected retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 85 major injuries in the community during the year of study. This gives a major injury incidence of 82.6 per 1000 person years. This is three times the incidence based on hospital-derived data. Animal bites being the most common cause of injury was noted in 2.3% of the population followed by falls in 1.6%, contact with objects in 1.5%, cut injuries in 1% and road trauma in 1%. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a higher incidence of major physical injuries (both intentional and unintentional) in the community than figures derived from hospital data. The prevention of injuries in a community such as the one studied here should be aimed at animal bites, falls, contacts with objects, cut injuries and road trauma.

Language: en