| Summary, etc |
Traumatic brain injury is the disruption of the brain structure caused by external force,<br/>characterized by confusion, loss of consciousness, coma, or seizure. TBI is a public<br/>health concern globally and the leading cause of admissions, increased morbidity,<br/>mortality, and disability. The objective of the study was to assess the determinants of<br/>health outcomes of TBI patients at MeTRH. A cross-sectional study design was used.<br/>The study population included adult TBI patients, and healthcare providers. A sample<br/>size of 36 TBI patients, and 74 healthcare workers. Medical record files were used as<br/>data source to collect data on prevalence and types of TBI. Data was collected using<br/>checklist, interview-guided questionnaires, disability rating scale tool, and self<br/>administered questionnaires. Data management involved cleaning, codding, entering<br/>numerical data into SPSSv27. The study identified a wide spectrum of TBIs, epidural<br/>hematoma (21.4%, n=18), skull fractures (20.2%, n=17), subdural hematoma (16.7%,<br/>n=14) being most prevalent. RTA leading cause (70.2%, n=59), assaults (22.6%, n=19).<br/>Inferential analysis showed a significant association between type of TBI and health<br/>outcomes (χ²=12.47, p=0.002), subdural hematoma and severe TBI linked to higher<br/>mortality. Overall, 16.7% (n=6) of patients died, within two weeks, 52.8% (n=19)<br/>regained functional independence by Week 6. Recovery trajectories revealed physical<br/>improvement compared to cognitive and psychosocial recovery, with 38.9% (n=14)<br/>employable without restrictions. Patient-related factors older age (≥50 years), male sex,<br/>history of prior TBIs (11.9%, n=10), low admission GCS,(≤8), delayed hospital arrival<br/>(>6 hours) were significantly associated with poor outcomes (χ²=15.36, p=0.001<br/>Healthcare-related factors influenced recovery, timely access to CT scans (97.6%, n=82)<br/>surgical interventions (44.0%, n=37) ,limited ICU space, inadequate rehabilitation<br/>services constrained recovery. The severity distribution revealed 44% (n=37) mild, 32%<br/>(n=27) moderate, and 24% (n=20) severe TBIs, with outcome differences statistically<br/>significant across severity levels (ANOVA, F=9.21, p<0.001). Findings; high prevalence<br/>of TBI in young males (75%, n=63) caused by RTAs, good neurological and physical<br/>recovery, cognitive, psychosocial, and employment outcomes remained suboptimal.<br/>Strengthening road safety, pre-hospital emergency care, neuroimaging, surgical capacity,<br/>and comprehensive rehabilitation programs, with standardized use of outcome tools such<br/>as the DRS, `are critical to improving long-term TBI health outcomes |