Determinants of Health Outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injury Among Patients Attending Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury is the disruption of the brain structure with its function caused by the application of an external force, characterized by confusion, loss of consciousness, coma, or seizure.  TBI is a public health concern globally and among the leading causes of admissions in hospitals, increased morbidity, mortality, and disability.  The objective of this study is to assess the determinants of health outcomes of patients with traumatic brain injuries seeking treatment at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital.  Methods: A cross-sectional study design will be used to conduct this study at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital. The study population will be medical files of adult patients who had a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, who were admitted and discharged home, post-discharge patients attending the outpatient neurosurgical clinic on follow-up after discharge, and healthcare practitioners managing these patients at the Accident and Emergency department, adult surgical wards, and critical care unit. A sample size of 84 patient files, 20 patients attending neurological clinics, and 40 healthcare workers will be included in this study. Data will be collected using a checklist to collect data from patients’ medical record files, interview-guided questionnaires for patients attending Neuro Clinic and self-administered questionnaires will be administered to healthcare workers managing patients in selected surgical departments. Data collected will be entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.  Descriptive statistics will be used d to draw research conclusions- Inferential statistics such as chi-square, ANOVA, correlation, and t-test will be used to identify factors that influence the health outcome of patients with TBI.  The correlation will be established using Pearson regression to check the effect of the factors on the health outcomes of TBI patients. Binary logistic regression analysis will help predict the strength of association between dependent and independent variables. The final analysis of variance ( ANOVA) will determine the significance of the results at 95% confidence.  Research findings will be presented in figures and tables. All ethical considerations will be observed by seeking ethical clearance from Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) Institutional Research Ethics Review Committee MIRERC and approval will be obtained from the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital Research and Ethics Committee. Informed consent will be obtained from all the study participants.