Acidentes de transporte : demanda nas unidades de urgência e emergência

Abstract

Morbidity caused by traffic accidents is recognized as an important public health problem, mainly in developing countries, overloading the health sector due to the high percentage of hospitalization and the high hospital costs, besides generating problems for society, such as material losses, insurance costs and great suffering for the victims and their families. Also, they contribute to the reduction of quality and life expectation, having a strong impact on general mortality and morbidity of the population. Aim – To analyze the characteristics of the traffic accidents and their victims treated at the urgency and emergency units of the matogrossense municipalities that participated in the Injury Surveillance System (VIVA) project, in 2008. Methods – It is a cross-sectional study, of treatments that occurred in September 2008, in hospitals and emergency rooms, based on the notification record of accidents and violence in urgency and emergency units. We calculated the prevalence ratio and the chi-square, with confidence interval of 95%. Multiple regression analysis was based on Poisson regression. Results – Of the 2.781 urgency and emergency treatments for external causes, 34,6% were due to traffic accidents, being 72,6% males, 56.7% from 20 to 39 years and 51,3% called themselves mixed. The private vehicle was the most used means of transportation for access to treatment. As to the victim, 71.5% was the driver at the moment of the accident and more than half was discharged 24 hours after being admitted. The most frequent means of transportation used was the motorcycle. Of the 897 admittance for traffic road accidents, (9.1%), that is, 82 victims were under suspicion of having consumed alcohol. Association statistically significant of the outcome variable with the male gender was verified (RP=2,7; CI: 1,4-5,2); race/black (RP= 1,8; CI: 1,0- 2,9); weekend (RP= 3,2; CI: 2,1-5,0); night time (RP= 2,7; CI: 1,7-4,3); pre-hospital transportation (RP= 1,6; CI: 1,0-2,4); work accident (RP= 0,3; CI: 0,12-0,72); walking (RP= 2.9; CI: 1,0-8,1); motorcycle (RP= 2.7; CI: 1,1-6,7) and evolution(RP= 1.7, CI: 1,1-2,6), all with p value <0,05. Conclusion – Traffic accidents are considered of great relevance among the external causes admitted to urgency and emergency units of Mato Grosso, being males and motorcyclists prevalent characteristics of this health problem in which alcohol consumption as an important risk factor.