The Burden of Trauma in Kosova: A Post Card Report from Prishtina

ABSTRACT Introduction Kosova, an independent country since 2008 in Southern Europe, has experienced increased urbanization and development. Despite this young country's advances, its healthcare infrastructure has progressed at a much slower rate and limitations are particularly notable in trauma care. This combination has made trauma a major public health issue in Kosova. The University Clinic Center of Kosova (UCCK) in Prishtina is the only tertiary center that serves the entire country. Materials and methods A retrospective review of data collected from a combination of local sources, as there is no one agency or department that has all the data. These sources include: (1) the emergency department (ED) of UCCK (data from 2007-2012), admissions hospital data from UCCK (2004- 2009), and motor vehicle collisions (MVC) data provided by the Prishtina police department (2008-2012). However, the main source of patients data analyzed in this study was provided from the ED. Throughout this study rate calculations are based on the population of Prishtina (198,330 inhabitants as reported in the last national census). Results Twenty-four thousand one hundred and ninety-nine trauma patients were treated at UCCK ED between 2007 and 2012, of which 93.5% were blunt trauma and 6.3% penetrating trauma. There were 285 fatalities with a mortality rate varying between 16.6 and 37.3 for 100,000 inhabitants. UCCK in-patient data from 2004 to 2009 reported 193 fatalities due to MVC, with a mortality rate between 10.08 and 23.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. Prishtina police reported 214 MVC-related deaths on the streets of Prishtina, with a mortality injury rate between 16.13 and 27.22 per 100,000 inhabitants from 2008 to 2012. However, combined mortality data for 2009 yields an MVC mortality rate of 61 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in the world. Conclusion Trauma burden remains a substantial public problem in Kosova, and needs to be addressed acutely. Furthermore, there is urgent need for a nationwide trauma registry, in order for policymakers to be able to recognize the gravity of the situation and to design and implement appropriate interventions and allocate already limited funding. How to cite this article Mora F, Lenjani B, Osmani KL, Beqiri L, Hoxha Z, Hajdari F, Latifi R. The Burden of Trauma in Kosova: A Post Card Report from Prishtina. Panam J Trauma Crit Care Emerg Surg 2014;3(1):29-32.