Updated Incidence Statistics of Road Traffic Accidents from University Central Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) Emergency Department Records

Among young people aged 15 to 29, road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the leading cause of
death globally. Available data shows the distribution of RTAs is disproportionately high in low
and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Rwanda, RTAs is the number one condition requiring
surgery, most of which are males (Muhirwa, 2016). Rwanda has implemented relevant initiatives
to combat the burden of RTAs through initiatives addressing public transportation and
pedestrians. However, research is not a priority and often outdated. Updated statistics are vital
for providing evidence to inform decisions at the policy level.

Methodology: To provide updated measures on the incidence of RTAs from CHUK emergency department,
a cross-sectional study design was used to compare statistics from a 2005 study titled “Road
Traffic Injuries at CHUK”. Data was extracted from hospital archive records and stratified
monthly from January to December of 2018. Variables extract mirrored the descriptive study
conducted in 2005 (age, sex, residence, type of transport, type of injury). The study then used
descriptive statistics to compare variables from 2005 and 2018.

Results: From the sample size of 252 records, 34.1% were in the age group of 16 and 30. Males made
up the majority of RTAs for both studies, 78.7% in 2005 and 72.2% in 2018. Motorcycles
(37.3%), pedestrians (36%), and bicycles (13.5%) ranked highest for RTAs in 2018. Referrals
from provinces outside of Kigali city limits increased from 9.8% in 2005 data to 38.5% in 2018.
RTAs from motor vehicles dropped to 9.5% compared to 40.7% in 2005. RTAs from minibuses
5 Capstone Practicum Report
also dropped from 15.2% in 2005 to 0% in 2018. Lower limb and head injuries remained high
for both studies. In 2005 head injuries equaled 29.4% and lower limbs equaled 14.4%. Data from
2018 show head injuries at 30.2% and lower limbs increased to 27.8%. Poly-trauma results
showed abdomen and limbs to have decreased from 34.3% in 2005 to 0% in 2018.

Discussion and Conclusion: Rwandan initiatives beginning in 2013 appear to have made an impact on RTAs for
minibuses and buses within Kigali. However, RTAs from motorcycles, pedestrians and bicycles
has remained unchanged. Current initiatives need to consider these modes of transportation an
important focal point if the burden for RTAs in Rwanda is to improve amongst these
demographics. Furthermore, national surgical strategies could improve Rwanda’s shortage of
staff and resources in district hospitals and reduce wait time for operations, potentially saving
lives. Study limitations include changes in either terminology or definition, rendering the data
sets incomparable and low sample size, which could have helped define inconsistent results in
this study. For future studies, a qualitative portion reporting road user experience could provide
further perspective on the long-term effects of RTAs and opinions of available
emergency/surgical services.