Public Health Perspectives of Events Occurring during the Golden Hour of Road Traffic Accidents

Abstract

Introduction: Road traffic accidents are ever increasing burden globally but vastly impacted here in
India. According to the 2009 Global Status Report on Road Safety, RTIs have yielded an estimated
US$518 billion in global losses, costing governments between 1% and 3% of their gross national
product (GNP). This finding is disproportionally significant in low-income countries, where economic
costs of RTIs exceed developmental assistance. The primary objective of this study is to understand the
events occurring the first hour after a Trauma from a Road Traffic Accident (RTA) and the secondary
objective is to understand the importance of pre-hospital care immediately after RTA.
Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Udupi from January 2017
to June 2017. A total of 18 participants were included who were involved and had experience of Road
Traffic Accident and their experience and perception amidst the Golden Hour.
Result: There is somewhat knowledge regarding the Golden hour concerning Road Traffic Accident
amongst all the stakeholders who were interviewed, but they were not exactly familiar with the duration
of the Golden Hour.
Conclusion: It was evident that most of them had a rough idea regarding the concept of Golden hour
and also had their concept about pre-hospital care in RTA.