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An evidence review of research on health interventions in humanitarian crises

BLANCHET, Karl
et al
November 2013

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This report presents a review of the evidence base of public health interventions in humanitarian crises by assessing the quantity and quality of intervention studies, rather than measuring the actual effectiveness of the intervention itself.  It notes an increase in quality and volume of evidence on health interventions in humanitarian crises and recognises that evidence remains too limited, particularly for gender-based violence (GBV) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). This report identifies a number of common needs across all areas, namely more evidence for the effectiveness of systems and delivery, better developed research methods, and more evidence on dispersed, urban and rural populations, on ensuring continuity of care and measuring and addressing health care needs in middle-income settings (particularly NCDs)

Note: Use links on the left hand side of the webpage to access either the full report, the executive summary, or the individual chapters arranged by health topic

Early Care following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (TSCI) in a Rehabilitation Centre in Bangladesh - An Analysis

RAZZAK, A T M A
2013

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Purpose: The study aimed to explore the outcome of current practices in the treatment of persons with traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) in Bangladesh, through the stages of rescue and first contact with physician, transportation to the tertiary hospital and intermediate admission.

 

Method: This observational study was conducted between June and August 2011, at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), in Dhaka, Bangladesh. From the 113 persons with SCI admitted at CRP during this period, 56 persons with TSCI were selected. With the help of a questionnaire, data were collected from these persons or their attendants by trained staff, and also taken from hospital records. Data were processed and analysed by SPSS software version 16.

 

Results: The male-female ratio among the study participants was 5.25: 1, with a mean age of 33.02 years. 55.3% of them were paraplegic, while 44.7% were tetraplegic. About 70% of the injuries were complete according to ASIA impairment scale (AIS) during admission at CRP.

 

The most common causes of injury were falls (50%), followed by road traffic accidents (RTA) and carrying loads on the head. 74.8% of the injured persons had been rescued from the accident site by local people but only 16.1% had been transported by ambulance. The spine board had never been used. More than half of the injured received initial treatment only at a sub-district or district hospital where none of the requisite facilities were available.

 

While being transported from one hospital to the other, 10.7% experienced neurological deterioration of some sort. Significant statistical correlation was found between mode of transfer (P <0.03) and intermediate admission (P<0.001)with neurological deterioration.

 

Conclusions: There is an urgent need to implement pre-hospital trauma care in Bangladesh. Since resources and places for the rehabilitation of persons with TSCI are scarce, regional and national spinal injury centres should be established without delay.

 

Limitations: The study focussed only on a small sample of persons with TSCI undergoing treatment at a single centre.

The global status report on road safety 2013 : supporting a decade of action

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2013

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"This report presents information on road safety from 182 countries, accounting for almost 99% of the world’s population. The report indicates that worldwide the total number of road traffic deaths remains unacceptably high at 1.24 million per year. Only 28 countries, covering 7% of the world’s population, have comprehensive road safety laws on five key risk factors: drinking and driving, speeding, and failing to use motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints. This report serves as a baseline for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, declared by the UN General Assembly. This is the second in a Global status report series"

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