Abstract:
Background. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) pose a severe public health crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and specifically in Tanzania,
where the mortality due to RTIs is nearly double the global rate. *ere is a paucity of RTI data in Tanzania to inform evidencebased
interventions to reduce the incidence and improve care outcomes. A trauma registry was implemented at 13 health facilities
of diverse administrative levels in Tanzania. In this study, we characterize the burden of RTIs seen at these health facilities.
Methods. *is was a one-year prospective descriptive study utilizing trauma registry data from 13 multilevel health facilities in
Tanzania from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020. We provide descriptive statistics on patient demographics; location; share of
injury; nature, type, and circumstances of RTI; injury severity; disposition; and outcomes. Results. Among 18,553 trauma patients
seen in 13 health facilities, 7,416 (40%) had RTIs. *e overall median age was 28 years (IQR 22–38 years), and 79.3% were male.
Most road traffic crashes (RTC) occurred in urban settings (68.7%), involving motorcycles (68.3%). Motorcyclists (32.9%) were
the most affected road users; only 37% of motorcyclists wore helmets at the time of the crash. *e majority (88.2%) of patients
arrived directly from the site, and 49.0% used motorized (two- or three-) wheelers to travel to the health facility. Patients were
more likely to be admitted to the ward, taken to operating theatre, died at emergency unit (EU), or referred versus being
discharged if they had intracranial injuries (27.8% vs. 3.7%; p < 0.0001), fracture of the lower leg (18.9% vs. 6.4%; p < 0.0001), or
femur fracture (12.9% vs. 0.4%; p < 0.0001). Overall, 36.1% of patients were admitted, 10.6% transferred to other facilities, and
mortality was 2%. Conclusions. RTCs are the main cause of trauma in this setting, affecting mostly working-age males. *ese RTCs
result in severe injuries requiring hospital admission or referral for almost half of the victims. Motorcyclists are the most affected
group, in alignment with prior studies. *ese findings demonstrate the burden of RTCs as a public health concern in Tanzania and
the need for targeted interventions with a focus on motorcyclists
