abstract & research question

Could a deployable, pre-fabricated mobile emergency response unit help reduce the on-site road traffic accident mortality rate?

“Every second counts in a road traffic emergency. Reducing the time it takes for medical services, firefighters and rescuers to arrive on the scene can save lives and limit the severity of the consequences of road accidents for survivors .”

-“New UN Regulation on Automatic Emergency Call System for Road Traffic Accidents Will Reduce Response Times, Save Lives.” Targeted News Service, Nov 23, 2017.

Road traffic injuries are a common cause of hospital visits in Malawi, and they are also the leading cause of adult injuryrelated deaths at 30%. In Malawi, death at the scene of crash may be related with either critical and maximum injury severity or poor post-collision care. Factors such as delay in emergency services, lack of ambulance services, and shortage of prehospital teams contribute greatly to the victims survival till they can access medical attention at a healthcare facility. The emergency response system and trauma services in Malawi are quite disorganized and at many times non existent. If the goal is to reduce the number of road fatalities on scene, providing adequate post-collision care is imperative.

Even a 10 minutes reduction of the medical response time can be statistically associated with an average decrease of the probability of death by one third, both on motorways and conventional roads. By enabling the first responders at the crash site to conduct efficient triage, the medical staff can quickly recognize which victims need to be taken to a healthcare facility and which can be treated on-site. If the critical victims are identified as early as possible, they can be transported in the emergency vehicle to the nearest healthcare facility while the other victims can be attended to on-site by the paramedics.