Frequency, characteristics and hospital outcomes of road traffic accidents and their victims in Guinea: a three-year retrospective study from 2015 to 2017
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7341-9
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Summary
This study addresses the growing public health burden of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Guinea, a low-income country in West Africa where RTA rates are rising but comprehensive baseline data are scarce. Motivated by the need to monitor Sustainable Development Goal targets and understand the local epidemiology, the researchers aimed to document the frequency, characteristics, and hospital outcomes of RTAs from 2015 to 2017. The authors conducted a retrospective study combining two data sources: a cross-sectional analysis of RTA cases from eight police stations and a retrospective cohort study of victims admitted to 20 hospitals across eight urban districts. Data were collected from registers between April and August 2018. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests for risk factors, and interrupted time-series models with segmented ordinary least-squares regression to assess trends and seasonality. Police records identified 3,140 RTAs over three years, showing a significant annual increase in rates from 14.0 per 100,000 population in 2015 to 28.7 in 2017. Motorcycle involvement increased dramatically from 12.0% to 30.7% of cases. Hospital records revealed 27,751 RTA victims admitted to emergency units, comprising 22% of all hospital admissions. Victims were predominantly male (71%) and young, with the 15–24 age group representing 33% of cases. Soft tissue injuries and fractures of the lower limbs were most common. The overall mortality rate among admitted victims was 1.4%, with 90% of deaths occurring before or within 24 hours of admission. Significant risk factors for death included male sex, age under 15 or over 65, and head injuries or coma. Time-series analysis indicated that while RTA and injury rates increased significantly in 2016 and 2017 compared to 2015, death rates showed no statistical difference over the period, and no seasonal association was found. The study concludes that RTA rates in Guinea are increasing, driven likely by a surge in vehicle numbers outpacing road safety infrastructure and enforcement. The findings highlight a heavy burden on hospital emergency services and identify vulnerable populations, particularly young males and the elderly. The authors emphasize the need for multisectoral prevention measures, improved road safety legislation, and better surveillance systems to address this escalating health threat.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | OpenAlex-citations | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-24 |
| archive | success | unpaywall | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-24 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-25 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes