Risk Factors of Road Traffic Accidents and Emergency Health Services of Rescue 1122 at Rahim Yar Khan

Abstract

Background:  Every year 1.7 million people die in road mishaps around the world. About 70 per cent deaths occur in the developing countries. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of a country plays their role in minimizing the morbidity and mortality among the victims of accidents and disasters.

Objectives:  The objective of this study was to, "Evaluate the risk factors of road traffic accidents and emergency health services of Rescue 1122 at Rahim Yar Khan".

Study Design and Duration:  This was a data based descriptive study for the period of three years from October 2007 to October 2010.

Methodology:  This study was conducted at Rescue 1122 center at Rahim Yar khan. The data was collec-ted regarding the risk factors of road traffic accidents and the nature and number of cases to which the emer-gency health services were provided by the Rescue 1122.

Results:  During the study period there were total 29793 patients to whom emergency medical services (EMS) were provided. Gender wise 77.21% patients were male and 22.79% were female. Majority of the patients 56.96% were belonging to the age group bet-ween 20 to 40 years. The major risk factors of acci-dents were over - speeding, tyre burst, and uneven and jagged roads. Call response time was 6 to 7 minutes, which was longer due to several other factors includ-ing road hindrances.

Conclusion:  Emergency Medical Services (EMS) can be strengthened by the consolidated collaboration between volunteers and health personnel at all levels. By streamlining the traffic, the call response time and patient access time can be reduced.

Keywords:  Rescue 1122, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Rahim Yar Khan.