Abstract:
Background: Every year, injuries cause the deaths of 5 million people worldwide. In Ethiopia,
injuries are on the rise and were the cause of the deaths of 41,834 people. Even though the problem
is a public burden, injury statistics on the magnitude and associated factors are scant in the country.
Objective: The main aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of injuries and associated
factors among patients who visit the Emergency Department of Kemisse General Hospital, the
Oromia Special Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from July 5 to August 6, 2022,
with a sample size of 317 eligible patients. A systematic random sampling technique was used to
select the study participants. The data were collected by trained data collectors through face-to-face
interviews and an observational checklist. The data were entered, checked, and coded, by Epi Data
3.1, and cleaning and analysis were done with IBM SPSS version 25. The main findings were
presented using tables and figures. In bivariate analysis, variables with a P-value below 0.25 with
the outcome variable were entered into the multivariable logistic regression model. Hosmer and
Lemeshow fit test statistics were used to check the assumption of logistic regression with a p-value
of 0.498. The presence and strength of association in the multivariable analysis were declared using
odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and p-values less than 0.05.
Result: The prevalence of injury was 32.8% [95%CI (27.6-38.3%)]. An injury is classified as
unintentional 74 (72.5%), and intentional 28 (27.5%). RTA, 30 (29.4%), was the leading
mechanism of injury. Age (18-44) years [AOR, 2.98 (1.24, 7.19)], being a farmer [AOR, 3.43 (1.05,
11.14)], a monthly income of 1500ETB [AOR, 3.38 (1.68, 6.78)], chewing khat [AOR, 2.01 (1.03-
3.89)], and smoking cigarettes [AOR, 3.09 (1.30, 7.38)] were significantly associated with injury.
Conclusion and recommendation: The study identified that the magnitude of injury is considerably
high in Kemisse General Hospital. The variable age group 18-44, being a farmer, participants group
with monthly income <1500ETB, khat chewing, and cigarette smoking were associated with injury
at a significant level. The regional and zonal health office should be done on adults and farmers to
protect themselves from injury and behavioral intervention should be initiated.
