World journal of surgery
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World journal of surgery · Jul 2013
The prehospital burden of disease due to trauma in KwaZulu-Natal: the need for Afrocentric trauma systems.
Trauma is one of the leading prehospital disease profiles in South Africa in general and in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in particular. The present study was designed to review the prehospital burden of injury in KZN, identify trauma burden to ambulance ratios, analyze system deficiencies, and propose a prehospital trauma system that is Afrocentric in nature. ⋯ The prehospital trauma burden in KZN is significant and consumes vital resources and gridlocks facilities. A prehospital trauma system that is financially sustainable and meets the needs of the trauma burden is proposed to enable Afrocentric emergency care planning for low and middle income regions.