Abstract
OBJECTIVES: In Saudi Arabia, trauma is associated with 18% of all fatalities, representing the leading cause of death. Among the wide spectrum of injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), pose a pervasive threat as they significantly impact health outcomes. If not fatal, TBIs are associated with long-term disabilities and little is known on the burden of trauma-related disability in the country, and specifically due to TBI. Thus, the study aims to examine long-term health outcomes of TBI survivors treated at a level-I trauma center. METHODS: We used a dataset from King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. To be included in the study, patients had to be hospitalized due to a TBI between years 2005-2014. Of the 1,620 patients (age=16-60 years) who met the inclusion criteria, a 50% random sample was selected. Patients were contacted via the phone and information about Activity of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) was ascertained. Univariate analyses were performed to examine patients' characteristics and to estimate the prevalence of disability. RESULTS: Of the 760 patients contacted, 3 patients were deceased. Of the remaining, 260 (34%) patients were reached and agreed to participate in the study. The overall sample was relatively young (mean age= 24.8; SD=9.8) and predominantly males (92.7%). The average time since the injury is 6.8 years (range=3-12, SD=2.6). Of the TBI patients, 25.4% reported at least some limitations in ADL while 19.8% reported IADL limitations. Half of TBI patients in the study received at least one session of rehabilitation services. CONCLUSIONS: The fact that one of every four TBI patients becomes disabled poses a significant burden on population health and healthcare institutions. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the reasons for these findings. More importantly, this highlights the need for further investment in injury prevention programs in order to reduce associated disabilities.