BACKGROUND: The main aim of this study is to utilize the geographical information system (GIS) software and perform the spatial analysis in relation to clinical data for road traffic injury (RTI) pediatric cases attending the emergency department.
METHODS: The study sample included pediatric patients (age less than 18 years) with road-related injuries within a district in Malaysia who attended emergency departments of two tertiary hospitals within the district. In addition to injury, pre-hospital care and outcome data, the coordinate of the locations were obtained by the ambulance paramedics by using portable handheld GPS unit brand Garmin(®) model GPS 72 H. The data was transferred into the excel format which in turn underwent GIS analysis by using ARCGIS(®) (by ESRI) software version 10.1 licensed to the study institution.
RESULTS: A total of 102 (24.8%) of all motor vehicle crash (MVC) victims involved the pediatric age group (age 18 years and below). The mean (SD) age of the pediatric victims was 14.30 years (SD 3.830). Male comprised of 68 (66.7%) of the cases. Motorcyclists [88 (88.0%)] were the most common type of victims involved. Interestingly, the majority of the severely injured victims [75 (73%)] sustained the RTI on roads with maximum speed limit of 60 km/hour. The mean (SD) length of hospital stay was 7.83 days (5.59).
CONCLUSION: The pediatric related road traffic injury in Malaysia causes significant health and social burden in the country. This study showed both important clinical and geographical factors that need to be taken into consideration for future preventive action.