Trauma Care in Nigeria: Time for an Integrated Trauma System

Abstract

Traumatic injuries are a global health problem. Most first world countries have developed comprehensive trauma systems to provide optimal care for injured patients. A trauma system is a coordinated effort in a defined geographic area that attempts to deliver trauma care to all injured patients and is usually integrated with the local public health system. The majority of low and middle income countries (LMIC) do not have functional trauma systems. This study aims to critique the status of trauma care in Nigeria and make a case for a re-organisation towards an inclusive trauma system. The methodology was a review of published articles and available grey literature to assess current practices in Nigeria within the various components of a trauma system, viz., injury prevention, pre-hospital care, acute care, and rehabilitation. The conclusions from this review suggest that integrating existing major trauma centres (MTCs) with smaller local hospitals within a region into an inclusive, interconnected region-based trauma system is the cheapest and most efficient way to improve Nigeria's trauma care and significantly reduce trauma mortality rates.

Keywords: inclusive trauma system; lmic; pre-hospital care in nigeria; trauma burden; trauma system in nigeria.

Figure 1. The trauma pathway.