Patterns of injury among assault victims presenting at the accident service Colombo South Teaching Hospital (CSTH)

Introduction: Injury patterns and the interpretation of injuries in assault victims are important bits of data that needs to be collected in an emergency department with a view of achieving two main goals. This includes, data for treatment purpose and a medico-legal workup. The objectives of this study are to describe the demographic data of the victims, the mechanism responsible for the injury, the regions of the body involved and the usage of intoxicants.

 

Method: The study was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at the accident service CSTH where 170 assault-injured respondents participated.

 

Results: The total sample of 170 assault-injured respondents, 128 (75.3%) were males. 49 (28.9%) of them belonged to the age group of 20-29 years. As per the legal classification; grievous hurt was identified among 55 (32.4%) victims. Blunt trauma occurred in 80 (47.06%). 76 (45.2%) were assaults involving the head, neck or face region. Most of these were superficial injuries.  Majority of admissions following assaults occurred among young males, who were mostly victimized at night during weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). The assailants were friends or young acquaintances while they were under the influence of alcohol.

 

Conclusion: Implementing counselling programs, targeting vulnerable groups which includes the intoxicated young male population who are responsible for conflicts, especially during weekend nights. Encouraging gender equality to prevent home violence against women, these steps could be recommended to reduce the number of assault victims.