Pilot Study On The Use Of Internet Social Network Site As A Vehicle For Multicenter Injury Research

Abstract

Background: Interpersonal violence (IPV) and road traffic injuries (RTI) are the leading causes of injury globally. These injuries are largely preventable and thus the World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritized the need to generate reliable and consistent data in order to understand and define context in which these injuries occur so as to aid in developing preventive strategies. In developing countries like Kenya, one of the rapidly increasing causes of RTI is the Motor Cycle (MC) crashes. MC has emerged in the recent past as a cheap and popular means of public transport. However, poor safety measures and lack of rider training has led to an exponential increase in MC related injuries. Objective: To pilot the use of internet social network site- facebook as a vehicle for concurrent multicenter MC injury study. Method: The three month study was conducted concurrently in four hospitals in different parts of Kenya. There was weekly posting of data collected from each hospital in a restricted facebook group site. Results:A total of 134 MC injuries were reported from the four study centers. The male to female ratio was 4:1. The youngest casualty was a 1year old passenger while the eldest was a 70year old pedestrian. There was significant variation in data from each of the study centers, but in general, 36% were riders, 31% pedestrians, 30% passengers while 3% involved non-motorized cyclists.