The Pattern and Characteristics of Childhood Unintentional Injuries in Abha Maternity and Children Hospital, KSA: Prospective Descriptive Study

Abstract Background In Saudi Arabia, unintentional injuries among children represent a prevalent and significant public health issue and severe injuries are of the leading indications for hospitalization and impairments. Objective This study aimed to describe the pattern of unintentional trauma in children admitted to Abha Maternal and Children Hospital, South region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This study was a prospective descriptive, cross-sectional, hospital-based study, which was conducted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Abha, Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. This is the central and main hospital in the region but not the only hospital receiving childhood injuries. The study period was from January 2023 to January 2024. Children’s age groups were from 0 to 12 years old. All children in the study were admitted with a diagnosis of unintentional injuries, like RTAs (road traffic accidents), falls, and other home accidents. The study included 104 children and the data collected were analyzed using SPSS (version 27; IBM Corp). Appropriate statistical tests were used for the analysis and all tests were two tailed and probability P ≤.05 is considered significant. Results The sample size of the study was 104 children. The gender distribution was 35 females (33.7 %) and 69 males (66.3 %). The patients were recruited from 18 cities in the Aseer region. About half of the patients (49%) were aged 6‐12 years. Road traffic accidents (RTA) represent the highest percentage of accidents, with 66 (63.5%) children, followed by falls from height with 38 (36.5%) patients. The most significant types of injuries were head and brain injuries 37 (35.6%), followed by chest and lung injuries 12 (11.5%). Most patients (n=62, 59.6%) remained admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for one to three days. Followed by three to seven days (27), then eight to 14 days (14). Head/brain axonal injury is also the most common injury associated with complications, followed by polytrauma. Conclusions Road traffic accidents are a significant cause of death and disability in Saudi Arabia for all age groups. A strong association existed between the PICU admission duration and the outcome ( P =.02). Health and community institutes and governments should increase community education about the risks and consequences of RTA, strengthen traffic rules and laws, and punish violators.