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Motor Vehicle Accidents: The Scourge of the Developing World

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Orthopaedic Trauma in the Austere Environment

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Abstract

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are the neglected epidemic of the developing world. They are the leading cause of death in persons aged 15–29, affect people in their prime productive years, and can cause long-term disability. RTIs are on the increase in much of the world, and generalized economic and population growth ensure that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. They are set to be one of the top five causes of morbidity and mortality by 2030. Unfortunately, this epidemic is flaring up in communities and regions which are the least able to cope with it, both medically and economically. Any orthopedic surgeon practicing in a low- or middle-income country will encounter a significant number of patients with traumatic injury due to road traffic crashes. This chapter aims to review the epidemiology of RTIs in economically developing countries; available data on premature deaths, disabilities, and socioeconomic impact; and how much this could be avoided and at what cost, with the strengthening of healthcare systems in general and surgical capacity in particular.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Iain Elliott MD

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Institute for Global Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of California in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Richard A. Gosselin MD, MSc, MPH, FRCS(C)

Authors
  1. Iain Elliott MD
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  2. Richard A. Gosselin MD, MSc, MPH, FRCS(C)
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Correspondence to Richard A. Gosselin MD, MSc, MPH, FRCS(C) .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen Elizabeth II Health Sci, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Juan de Dios Robinson

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Elliott, I., Gosselin, R.A. (2016). Motor Vehicle Accidents: The Scourge of the Developing World. In: Robinson, J. (eds) Orthopaedic Trauma in the Austere Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29122-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29122-2_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29120-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29122-2

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