Tropical Doctor > Volume 39, Number 3 > Pp. 170-172

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The use of hospital medical records for child injury surveillance in northern Malawi

Kwong Leung Yu MD PhD   ^*    Chin Nam Bong MD   ^*    Meng Chuan Huang PhD      Chih Cheng Chen MD   ^*    Ying Chin Ko MD PhD      Po Ya Chang MD DrMSc      Tai Heng Chen MD      Hung Che Chiang MD PhD    

^* Taiwan Medical Mission in Malawi, Mzuzu Central Hospital, Malawi; International Medical Cooperation and Development Center, Pingtung Christian Hospital, Pingtung; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung; Department of Pediatrics, Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Correspondence to: Hung Che Chiang, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Email: hcchiang{at}kmu.edu.tw

Our study evaluates the usefulness and the limitations of using the medical records of a central referral hospital to develop a child injury surveillance system in northern Malawi. The most prevalent types of injury were falls (29.6%), road traffic injuries (22.0%), burns (21.4%) and poisoning (15.1%). Older children (aged 5–14 years), in the cool-dry season (May to August) and the hot-dry season (September to October), were significant predictors for total injury admissions. Our study indicated that hospital medical records are a valuable component of a child injury surveillance system and can illustrate the trends and patterns of moderate to severe injuries as well as suggest potential prevention strategies for local settings. Combined with a specially designed trauma registry form, it is possible for developing countries at local level to combat the emerging public health issues.

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