Duration to recovery and its predictors among hospitalized road traffic injury patients in Southern Ethiopia: a cohort study.

Birhanu, G; Tafesse, F; Melke, A; Tamiso, A; Yoseph, A · 2026 · PubMed Central

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-51038-4

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Summary

This retrospective cohort study investigates the duration of recovery and its predictors among hospitalized road traffic injury (RTI) patients in Southern Ethiopia. Motivated by the high burden of RTIs in low-income settings and a lack of local evidence regarding post-injury recovery trajectories, the research aims to identify factors influencing recovery time to optimize trauma care and resource allocation. The study addresses a critical gap, as previous research in the region has largely focused on mortality or incidence rather than longitudinal recovery outcomes. The study was conducted at Hawassa University Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital, analyzing medical records of 359 RTI patients admitted to orthopedic and surgical wards between January 2023 and December 2024. Recovery was defined as discharge with documented clinical improvement. The researchers employed survival analysis techniques, including Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression, to estimate recovery duration and identify independent predictors. Patients who died, were transferred, or discharged against medical advice were treated as censored observations. The analysis adjusted for demographic, clinical, and injury-related factors, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. The median duration to recovery was 9 days (95% CI: 8–11), with an overall recovery incidence rate of 7.3 per 100 person-days. Approximately 94.7% of patients were discharged with documented clinical improvement. Multivariable analysis identified four significant predictors associated with a lower hazard of recovery, indicating slower recovery trajectories: multiple organ injuries (Adjusted Hazard Ratio [AHR] = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.42–0.77), severe Glasgow Coma Scale scores at admission (GCS ≤7) (AHR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.12–0.88), the development of in-hospital complications (AHR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.48–0.88), and the presence of comorbidities (AHR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.31–0.77). Kaplan-Meier analysis further demonstrated that patients with complications, comorbidities, or multiple organ injuries had significantly longer median recovery times compared to those without these conditions. The findings highlight that recovery duration is substantially influenced by injury severity, complication status, and pre-existing health conditions. The study concludes that targeted clinical interventions, close monitoring, and tailored management are essential for high-risk patients to enhance recovery outcomes. These results provide evidence-based insights for policymakers and hospital administrators to prioritize strategies that reduce complication rates and optimize care for patients with severe injuries, thereby improving trauma management efficiency in resource-limited settings.

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• fatality injury trends

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes