EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INJURIES ON THE EXAMPLE OF ONE HOSPITAL IN GEORGIA

Abstract

Traumatic injuries pose significant public health challenges worldwide, disproportionately affecting developing countries. The study aims to explore the epidemiology of traumatic injuries in Georgia, based on one hospital in Tbilisi. The retrospective descriptive method was used for the study - the 2022 database from the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia, which encompasses hospital admissions. A total of 1101 patients were admited for an injury, of whom 709 (64%) were male patients and 392 (36%) were female patients. Patients’ age ranged from 0 to 92 years. The modal age group was 10-19 years (n=184, 17%), followed by 20-25 years old (n=146, 13%). Falls were the leading mechanism of injuries in all age groups (n=844, 77%), both in men (n=544, 50%) and in women (n=300, 28%). Second was Unspecified injuries (n=133, 12%) and third poisoning (n=52, 5%). There were 28 fatal outcomes, with an in-hospital mortality rate of 2.5%. The mean hospital length of stay (LOS) 3,17. There was a significant association between age, type and mechanism of injury, hospital bed days and outcomes. The findings highlight the need for enhanced data collection and monitoring to develop more effective injury prevention and treatment strategies in Georgia. This research lays the groundwork for future studies to gain a deeper understanding of injury patterns and to improve public health interventions.