World Head Injury Awareness Day 2018: ways to prevent road traffic accidents and resulting injuries and deaths

Dr NK Venkataramana opines about the best ways to prevent road traffic accident and resulting death on this ‘World Head Injury Awareness Day.’

By: Editorial Team | | Updated: March 20, 2018 10:08 am

The number of road accidents in Karnataka, among India s most literate and progressive states, is the third highest in the country, with Bangalore alone accounting for two deaths in crashes every single day and 700-800 Also Read - Sleep deprived? You may have a higher risk of crashing your car

every year. Nationally, too the number looks grim. In all, 1.5 million people sustain serious head injuries every year in India and 60 percent of them die before reaching a hospital. Studies prove that 60 percent of all head injury victims are in the most-productive 18 to 40 age group, which translates into a staggering economic loss of up to 2 percent of our nominal GDP. With a death rate of about 30 per 100,000 population, India is among the world s riskiest countries for road users according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. Also Read - After a long 5 month long battle in intensive care, rail accident victim finally walks back home

So how do we prevent the escalating number of road traffic accidents?

Dr NK Venkataramana says: Adherence to simple safety practices like wearing helmets and seatbelts and not using mobile phones while driving could bring down casualty rates dramatically. Drunken driving is again something that could be easily put down. All that governments need to do is run sustained (not just during road safety weeks)

and effective awareness campaigns and alongside ensure strict enforcement of traffic rules. In addition, far more attention needs to be paid to the quality of road infrastructure: road surfacing, architecture and alignment, traffic management systems and policing. Finally, unnecessary road humps have of late emerged as a major menace, causing a number of completely avoidable incidents of head injury, he further added. Here are first aid tips for road accidents.

In Bangalore, it takes head injury patients a shocking 4.6 hours to reach a hospital on an average following an accident. Medical science has repeatedly proved that with the Right care at the Right time by the Right people, accident-related death rates can be more than halved. Right response to medical emergencies starts with immediate administration of first- aid at the accident spot and unfolds through the following steps: expert handling and

shifting of the victim to an ambulance equipped with life-saving gear and medicines, monitoring and administration of emergency care along the way and finally admission at a facility specially equipped for emergency care. Adherence to this process maximises survival rates and minimises the chances of complications, the complexity and cost of treatment and the length of stay at hospitals. Here are dos and don’ts before an ambulance arrives.

On the occasion of World Head Injury Awareness Day being observed on March 20, Brains Hospitals and Golden Hour are running a city-wide campaign to create awareness about head injuries. The thrust of this social campaign is to disseminate information that would help each of us to not only prevent head injuries but also respond to them effectively. Let us together pledge on this day to turn Bangalore into a model of safety and thereby set off a nationwide movement that turns a dubious distinction into a distinction we can be proud of.

About Golden Hour:

As a part of its far-reaching CSR initiative, Brains Hospitals runs 30 quick access Golden Hour centres across Bangalore, each equipped and staffed especially for providing the right care to accident victims in line with globally prescribed practices and protocols. At these centres accident emergencies are quickly assessed, triaged,

stabilised and life-threatening ones are identified and supported and if needed shifted to the right hospitals for more advance care, after their lives have been secured. Golden Hour is to provide a comprehensive plan for management of head injuries across Bangalore city by creating a system where people get treated in the Right Time, by the Right People using the Right Method to achieve the Right Result.

Source: Press release

Image source: Shuttertsock

Published : March 20, 2018 10:08 am | Updated:March 20, 2018 10:08 am

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