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Impact of 2015 earthquakes on a local hospital in Nepal: A prospective hospital-based study.

ABSTRACT: Natural disasters pose a great challenge to the health systems and individual health facilities. In low-resource settings, disaster preparedness systems are often limited and not been well described. Two devastating earthquakes hit Nepal within a 17-days period in 2015. This study aims to describe the burden and distribution of emergency cases to a local hospital.This is a prospective observational study of patients presenting to a local hospital for a period of 21 days following the earthquake on April 25, 2015. Demographic and clinical information was prospectively registered for all patients in the systematic emergency registry. Systematic telephone interviews were conducted in a random sample of the patients 90 days after admission to the hospital.A total of 2,003 emergency patients were registered during the period. The average daily number of emergency patients during the first five days was almost five times higher (n = 150) than the pre-incident daily average (n = 35). The majority of injuries were fractures (58%), 348 (56%) in the lower extremities. A total of 345 surgical procedures were performed and the hospital treated 111 patients with severe injuries related to the earthquake (compartment syndrome, crush injury, and internal injury). Among those with follow-up interviews, over 90% reported that they had been severely affected by the earthquakes; complete house damage, living in temporary shelter, or loss of close family member.The hospital experienced a very high caseload during the first days, and the majority of patients needed orthopaedic services. The proportion of severely injured and in-hospital deaths were relatively low, probably indicating that the most severely injured did not reach the hospital in time. The experiences underline the need for robust and easily available local health services that can respond to disasters.

SUBMITTER: Giri S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5796718 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Impact of 2015 earthquakes on a local hospital in Nepal: A prospective hospital-based study.

Giri Samita S Risnes Kari K Uleberg Oddvar O Rogne Tormod T Shrestha Sanu Krishna SK Nygaard Øystein Petter ØP Koju Rajendra R Solligård Erik E

PloS one 20180202 2

<h4>Introduction</h4>Natural disasters pose a great challenge to the health systems and individual health facilities. In low-resource settings, disaster preparedness systems are often limited and not been well described. Two devastating earthquakes hit Nepal within a 17-days period in 2015. This study aims to describe the burden and distribution of emergency cases to a local hospital.<h4>Methods</h4>This is a prospective observational study of patients presenting to a local hospital for a period ...[more]

PMID: 29394265

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Project description:Background:Low birth weight (LBW) is defined as the birth weight of live born infants below 2500?g, regardless of gestational age. It is a public health problem caused by factors that are potentially modifiable. The purpose of this study was to determine the socioeconomic, obstetric, and maternal factors associated with LBW in Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Nepal. Methods:The study was conducted using case control study design with 1?:?2 case control ratio. A total of 105 cases and 210 controls were taken in this study. Data were entered on Epi data software version 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 25 for analysis. Characteristics of the sample were described using mean and standard deviation. Bivariate analysis was done to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. The ultimate measure of association was odds ratio. Variables found to be associated with bivariate analysis were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model to identify predictors of LBW. Results:The mean age of the participants was 25.98 years with ±4.40 standard deviation. Mothers with literate educational background (AOR 0.32, 95% CI 0.13-0.81), housewife (AOR 2.63, 95% CI 1.11-6.20), vaginal mode of delivery (AOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.25-0.82), gestational age <37 weeks (AOR 2.51, 95% CI 1.15-5.48), history of LBW (AOR 5.12, 95% CI 1.93-13.60), and maternal weight <50 kilograms (AOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.23-4.02) were significantly associated with LBW. Conclusion:Educational and occupational status, mode of delivery, gestational age, maternal weight, and history of LBW were found to be independent predictors of LBW. There is need of developing coordination with education sector for increasing educational status of mothers and adolescent girls. Social determinants of health need to be considered while developing interventional programs. Similarly, interventional programs need to be developed considering identified predictors of low birth weight.

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Impact of 2015 earthquakes on a local hospital in Nepal: A prospective hospital-based study.

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Impact of 2015 earthquakes on a local hospital in Nepal: A prospective hospital-based study.

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