High magnitude of road traffic accident among traumatized patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A facility-based cross-sectional study

Background: Globally, road traffic accidents cause around 50 million injuries and disabilities and close to 1.35 million deaths every year. In Ethiopia, approximately five thousand deaths are estimated to occur annually due to road traffic accidents. However, there is limited data on the precise burden of the problem in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of road traffic accidents and associated factors among traumatized patients who visited the emergency units of selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 381 trauma patients who visited the emergency department of three public hospitals in Addis Ababa between June 1 and July 12, 2022. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire, entered into Epi-data, and exported to SPSS for statistical analysis. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors contributing to road traffic accidents at a significant level of P < 0.05. Results: The majority of participants were males (73.5%), between 20 and 39 years old (65.1%), and married (45.7%). The prevalence of road traffic accidents among traumatized patients was 37.3% (95% CI: 32.5, 42.3) in public hospitals in Addis Ababa. After adjusting for potential confounders, being male AOR (95% CI) = 2.77 (1.6, 4.8), traveling in the afternoon AOR (95% CI) = 0.6 (0.3, 0.9), and alcohol-drinking before travel AOR (95% CI) = 2.50 (1.6, 4.0) were factors contributing to road traffic accidents. Conclusion: The prevalence of road traffic accidents was very high in Addis Ababa public hospitals. Being male, traveling in the afternoon, and drinking alcohol before travel were significantly associated with an increased risk of road traffic accidents. Community awareness creation, strict traffic flow control in the morning, and alcohol breath tests will ultimately decrease road traffic accidents. In the meantime, expansion and strengthening of pre-hospital care and post-crash trauma care services.