Backgrounds: Sixty percent of the global deaths and injuries occur in the developing world and mostly are due to Road traffic accidents (RTAs). Looking at the etiological related factors which include carelessness of ...Backgrounds: Sixty percent of the global deaths and injuries occur in the developing world and mostly are due to Road traffic accidents (RTAs). Looking at the etiological related factors which include carelessness of the driver, condition of the vehicle or motorcycle, poor condition of roads, risky behavior of the driver, most of these factors can be prevented to some extent. This study therefore, determined the pattern of cases and deaths due to traffic road accidents in Mwanza City Tanzania. Methods: In this retrospective study, records, registers and case notes in the surgical ward and causality, medical records and central police station from 2009 to 2012 were used. The study focused on the two referral hospitals (Sekouture regional hospital and Bugando Medical Center). Results: There were 3450 cases due to accidents reported at both centers (Sekouture regional hospital and Bugando Medical Center of which 3224 (93.4%) had complete information for analysis. 2225 (69%) were male and 999 (31%) were female, and the most affected group were male. Among the RTAs 2809 cases (87%) were due to motor cycle accidents which were the leading cause of RTAs with case fatality rate of 5% while motor vehicle has case fatality rate of 24% which is 5 times that of motor cycle. Conclusion: Among all RTAs the leading cause of injuries is Motor cycle traffic accidents followed by motor vehicle. RTAs are on increase particularly the motor cycle traffic accidents and have claimed a good number of innocent people’s lives however most of them are preventable, therefore driving course to be introduced to motor cycle drivers emphasizes on the road posters signal, rules and regular checkup of their motor cycles especially commercial motor cycle.展开更多
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF, is still limited by cost. Testing of pooled samples from presumptive TB patients has been thought as a cost-saving strategy to diagnose TB. We assessed...Background: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF, is still limited by cost. Testing of pooled samples from presumptive TB patients has been thought as a cost-saving strategy to diagnose TB. We assessed the utility and cost-saving of pooled Xpert MTB/RIF testing strategy for the diagnosis of TB in Mwanza, Tanzania. Methods: Sputum samples from Presumptive TB patients were submitted to TB laboratory for routine diagnosis of TB using Xpert MTB/RIF. The TB results from the individual sputum samples were used as the reference standard and were concealed to the investigating laboratory technicians. The remainder of samples were collected serially and were pooled (5 samples per pool) for testing. The agreement of the results between individual sample testing against pooled sample testing and cost-savings was assessed. Results: A total of 250 sputum samples from presumptive TB patients were analyzed and 50 pools were made with each pool containing 5 samples. Of the 50 sputum pools made, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was detected in 17 (34.0%) pools. Results from the individual sputum samples MTB/RIF testing were retrieved for all 250 samples and there were 28 (11.2%) samples in which MTB was detected whereas 222 (88.8%) samples had no MTB detected. Following re-analysis of positive pools, all 28 (100%) individual positive MTB samples were detected within the 17 positive pools, with 1 to 3 individual MTB positive samples per pool. The individual sputum samples were correctly identified by pooled sputum on Xpert MTB/RIF testing, with the sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%. Using pooling of sputum samples strategy, we saved 46.0% (115/250) of the cartridges. Conclusion: The pooled sputum testing strategy reduced cartridge costs by 46.0% and has the potential to increase the affordability of Xpert MTB/RIF testing in countries with limited resources, such as Tanzania.展开更多
Introduction: Provision of prehospital care in the event of a crash is vital to prevent loss of life and other severe outcomes. However, this involves adequate first aid knowledge and skills among vehicle attendants, ...Introduction: Provision of prehospital care in the event of a crash is vital to prevent loss of life and other severe outcomes. However, this involves adequate first aid knowledge and skills among vehicle attendants, and most importantly, the availability of the first aid kit items and knowing their uses. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, availability, and use of first aid kits among commuter bus attendants. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Nyamagana district, Mwanza, Tanzania in May 2018. A total of 240 were recruited randomly and interviewed using pretested questionnaires. Data was first entered in Microsoft Excel for data cleaning and consistent checks and thereafter exported to the software STATA for analysis. Results: Findings from the study showed that 22.9% of respondents had knowledge concerning first aid practice. Only 17.9% of the participants claimed to have ever had first aid training. All commuters had incompletely equipped first aid kits. Around 30.8% of the respondents reported having practiced giving first aid. Conclusion: The majority of commuter bus attendants were found to have insufficient knowledge of first aid and first aid kits, according to the current study. No vehicle had a complete kit despite the fact that the majority of the participants believed that having a first aid kit in the vehicle was essential. The majority of participants expressed a desire to assist and learn, indicating that efforts to train commuter attendants should be undertaken and potentially save lives.展开更多
文摘Backgrounds: Sixty percent of the global deaths and injuries occur in the developing world and mostly are due to Road traffic accidents (RTAs). Looking at the etiological related factors which include carelessness of the driver, condition of the vehicle or motorcycle, poor condition of roads, risky behavior of the driver, most of these factors can be prevented to some extent. This study therefore, determined the pattern of cases and deaths due to traffic road accidents in Mwanza City Tanzania. Methods: In this retrospective study, records, registers and case notes in the surgical ward and causality, medical records and central police station from 2009 to 2012 were used. The study focused on the two referral hospitals (Sekouture regional hospital and Bugando Medical Center). Results: There were 3450 cases due to accidents reported at both centers (Sekouture regional hospital and Bugando Medical Center of which 3224 (93.4%) had complete information for analysis. 2225 (69%) were male and 999 (31%) were female, and the most affected group were male. Among the RTAs 2809 cases (87%) were due to motor cycle accidents which were the leading cause of RTAs with case fatality rate of 5% while motor vehicle has case fatality rate of 24% which is 5 times that of motor cycle. Conclusion: Among all RTAs the leading cause of injuries is Motor cycle traffic accidents followed by motor vehicle. RTAs are on increase particularly the motor cycle traffic accidents and have claimed a good number of innocent people’s lives however most of them are preventable, therefore driving course to be introduced to motor cycle drivers emphasizes on the road posters signal, rules and regular checkup of their motor cycles especially commercial motor cycle.
文摘Background: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF, is still limited by cost. Testing of pooled samples from presumptive TB patients has been thought as a cost-saving strategy to diagnose TB. We assessed the utility and cost-saving of pooled Xpert MTB/RIF testing strategy for the diagnosis of TB in Mwanza, Tanzania. Methods: Sputum samples from Presumptive TB patients were submitted to TB laboratory for routine diagnosis of TB using Xpert MTB/RIF. The TB results from the individual sputum samples were used as the reference standard and were concealed to the investigating laboratory technicians. The remainder of samples were collected serially and were pooled (5 samples per pool) for testing. The agreement of the results between individual sample testing against pooled sample testing and cost-savings was assessed. Results: A total of 250 sputum samples from presumptive TB patients were analyzed and 50 pools were made with each pool containing 5 samples. Of the 50 sputum pools made, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was detected in 17 (34.0%) pools. Results from the individual sputum samples MTB/RIF testing were retrieved for all 250 samples and there were 28 (11.2%) samples in which MTB was detected whereas 222 (88.8%) samples had no MTB detected. Following re-analysis of positive pools, all 28 (100%) individual positive MTB samples were detected within the 17 positive pools, with 1 to 3 individual MTB positive samples per pool. The individual sputum samples were correctly identified by pooled sputum on Xpert MTB/RIF testing, with the sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%. Using pooling of sputum samples strategy, we saved 46.0% (115/250) of the cartridges. Conclusion: The pooled sputum testing strategy reduced cartridge costs by 46.0% and has the potential to increase the affordability of Xpert MTB/RIF testing in countries with limited resources, such as Tanzania.
文摘Introduction: Provision of prehospital care in the event of a crash is vital to prevent loss of life and other severe outcomes. However, this involves adequate first aid knowledge and skills among vehicle attendants, and most importantly, the availability of the first aid kit items and knowing their uses. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, availability, and use of first aid kits among commuter bus attendants. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Nyamagana district, Mwanza, Tanzania in May 2018. A total of 240 were recruited randomly and interviewed using pretested questionnaires. Data was first entered in Microsoft Excel for data cleaning and consistent checks and thereafter exported to the software STATA for analysis. Results: Findings from the study showed that 22.9% of respondents had knowledge concerning first aid practice. Only 17.9% of the participants claimed to have ever had first aid training. All commuters had incompletely equipped first aid kits. Around 30.8% of the respondents reported having practiced giving first aid. Conclusion: The majority of commuter bus attendants were found to have insufficient knowledge of first aid and first aid kits, according to the current study. No vehicle had a complete kit despite the fact that the majority of the participants believed that having a first aid kit in the vehicle was essential. The majority of participants expressed a desire to assist and learn, indicating that efforts to train commuter attendants should be undertaken and potentially save lives.
