Effect of Distance to Trauma Centre, Trauma Centre Level, and Trauma Centre Region on Fatal Injuries among Motorcyclists in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Studies have suggested that trauma centre-related risk factors, such as distance to the nearest trauma hospital, are strong predictors of fatal injuries among motorists. Few studies have used a national dataset to study the effect of trauma centre-related risk factors on fatal injuries among motorists and motorcyclists in a country where traffic is dominated by motorcycles. This study investigated the effect of distance from the nearest trauma hospital on fatal injuries from two-vehicle crashes in Taiwan from 2017 to 2019. Methods: A crash dataset and hospital location dataset were combined. The crash dataset was extracted from the National Taiwan Traffic Crash Dataset from 1 January 2017 through 31 December 2019. The primary exposure in this study was distance to the nearest trauma hospital. This study performed a multiple logistic regression to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for fatal injuries. Results: The multivariate logistic regression models indicated that motorcyclists involved in crashes located ≥5 km from the nearest trauma hospital and in Eastern Taiwan were approximately five times more likely to sustain fatal injuries (AOR = 5.26; 95% CI: 3.69–7.49). Conclusions: Distance to, level of, and region of the nearest trauma centre are critical risk factors for fatal injuries among motorcyclists but not motorists. To reduce the mortality rate of trauma cases among motorcyclists, interventions should focus on improving access to trauma hospitals.

Shock Index as a Predictor for Angiographic Hemostasis in Life-Threatening Traumatic Oronasal Bleeding

“…Effective field triage is essential in reducing transport time. If the injury exceeds the capability of the hospital providing first-aid, patients should be transferred to a higher-level facility promptly, as the availability of care at a trauma center is shown to directly affect patient mortality [ 19 ]. In the context of life-threatening ONB, prudent decision-making for referral to another institution may be a matter of life or death because interventional radiologists may not be readily available at every medical facility.…”

Influence of Spatial and Temporal Distance of the Hospital on Survival of Patients with Dangerous Injuries Sustained in Traffic Accidents

“…The study under review belongs to a group of those one which determine dominant factors of decreasment of mortality to traumatised patients (23)(24)(25). Beside independent variables, those which cannot be changed by health institutions reorganisation and they are type and severity of the injury, usage of security systems and similar-there are prehospital and hospital factors which are also important for survival.…”

“…The study under review belongs to a group of those one which determine dominant factors of decreasment of mortality to traumatised patients ( 23 – 25 ).…”

Joint Effect of Heavy Vehicles and Diminished Light Conditions on Paediatric Pedestrian Injuries in Backover Crashes: A UK Population-Based Study

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