Casey et al. International Journal of Emergency Medicine 2012, 5:28 http://www.intjem.com/content/5/1/28 Page 5 of 7 Figure 2 a. Traumatic injuries presenting to the KCMC Emergency Department, June 2010 through July, 2010 by age stratum, N = 998. b. Traumatic injuries among males presenting to the KCMC Emergency Department, June 2010 through July, 2010, by age stratum, N = 735. c. Traumatic injuries among females presenting to the KCMC Emergency Department, June 2010 through July, 2010 by age stratum, N = 263. during hospitalization, occurred in 5.4% (4.2, 7.0%) of patients suffering from injuries. The average length of hos- pital stay was 9.5 days with a 3-day median length of stay. Discussion Injury prevention and improved quality of emergency care for injured patients necessitates an understanding of the attributable mechanisms of injury and their result- ing impact on patients, families and the broader health care system on which they depend. As injuries have be- come more significant causes of morbidity and mortality in the developing world, few mechanisms for improve- ment in data collection, primary prevention, or improved pre-hospital and emergency care have emerged [12]. Our review of injuries in patients present- ing to KCMC establishes a significant pattern of injury in the population and is consistent with injury patterns reported in other low-income countries [7,12-14]. In our study, RTI was the major mechanism of injuries in patients presenting to the hospital, accounting for 43.2% of all injuries. This was within the range of prior studies in Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania reported as 49%, 29% and 33%, respectively. Furthermore, the burden of RTI- related injury morbidity and mortality is inequitably dis- tributed globally [15-21]. While low- and middle-income countries comprised only 32% of the world’s vehicle ownership in 2000, they accounted for more than 85% of the global burden of motor vehicle fatalities and 90% of DALY [21]. This is likely related to increased motorization in the setting of inadequate transportation infrastructure maintenance, lack of safety device use such as restraints and helmets, mixed road use by pedes- trians or non-motorized vehicles, and the absence of pre-hospital and emergency care. Furthermore, this study suggests that motorcyclists are involved in a substantial number of RTIs. Previous studies have suggested that pedestrians and public trans- port users are the groups most significantly impacted by RTI; however, these data suggest a potential increasing burden of motorcycle-related RTI as their use increases. This has significant implications for the potential impact of specific interventions as injury prevention efforts fo- cusing on enforcement of helmet usage, speed limit en- forcement and provision of safe footpaths alongside roads are potentially important mechanisms for reduc- tion of injury numbers [21]. Currently, Tanzania does have a national helmet law for motorcyclists; however, usage is not consistently enforced and does not apply to all vehicle occupants. Falls and assaults were the second and third most com- mon cause of injuries, and are also likely high-yield areas for intervention. Although burns accounted for a small per- centage of patient injuries, they are of particular concern in children less than 5 years of age, who suffered 45.5% of all burns. This likewise represents another potential focus for prevention. The types of injuries, which predominantly involve trauma to the head and extremities, underscore the need