Andrew Gardner
Nominated From: University of Michigan
Research Site: Ghana
Research Area: Emergency Medicine, Trauma/Injuries
Primary Mentor: Ronald Maio
Research Project
Alcohol prevalence and characteristics of trauma patients presenting to emergency care settings in Ghana
Ghana recently developed the Emergency Medicine Specialty. There is interest in characterizing trauma and its associated risk factors as about 40% of patients presenting to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Emergency Department suffer from injuries/trauma. This study will look at the prevalence of alcohol positive trauma patients and obtain patient injury characteristics, including harmful alcohol use patterns.
Research Significance
Globally, injuries kill more people than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Harmful alcohol use is also a significant risk factor as about 40% of alcohol related fatalities are due to injuries. Although the burden of injuries and alcohol has been documented on a global scale, the significance is unknown in Ghana.
Mentors
- Ronald Maio, DO, MS
- George Oduro, MB, CHB
