Analysis of Some Issues Related to the Provision of Pre-Hospital Medical Care to Children Injured in Road Accidents

Summary. The purpose of the study is to analyze the provision of medical care to children injured as a result of road accidents by emergency medical teams and offer recommendations on how to prevent its mistakes. Materials and methods. The accounting data of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for the period from 2020 to 2023 inclusive, as well as statistical data taken from the database of the Saratov Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital for the period from 2020 to 2023 inclusive, on road accidents involving children and adolescents, were used. The results of the provision of medical care to children injured in road accidents by ambulance crews were analyzed. The research method is analytical. Research results. Analysis of the research results showed: The condition of children injured as a result of road accidents at the time of assistance is regarded as mild in 22.0% of observations, as severe in 21.0%, as extremely severe in 27.0% and as critical in 30.0% of observations. Medical care for children who have been injured as a result of road accidents is provided by medical emergency medical teams in 78.0% of cases and in 22.0% of cases by paramedic teams. Errors in the provision of assistance were noted in 4.0% of observations in the provision of assistance by medical teams and in 5.0% of cases in the provision of assistance by paramedic teams. The total number of deaths among children injured in road accidents was 35.0%. The causes of death in the victims of this group were as follows: traumatic shock – 11.0% of cases; hemorrhagic shock – 3.0% of cases; traumatic brain injuries – 9% of cases and injuries incompatible with life – 5.0% of cases. The main causes that led to traffic accidents involving children are violation of rules for transporting children – 32.0% of cases and driving into oncoming traffic – 18.0%. It is noted that the results of the study indicate the need to pay more attention to the organizational problems associated with the provision of medical care to children injured in road accidents. Often, the process of calling an ambulance team and waiting for its arrival takes too much time, especially if the accident occurred in a remote or hard-to-reach place, which can be critical for children with serious injuries. It is also necessary to pay attention to the lack of coordination between various medical services in a large number of cases, leading to delays and improper provision of medical care.