More than 5 million people die each year as a result of injuries. This accounts for 9% of the world’s deaths – nearly 1.7 times the number of fatalities that result from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. A large proportion of people surviving injuries incurs a temporary or permanent disability, although the true extent of this is poorly understood.
Through the Orthopaedic Research Collaborative in Africa (ORCA), the POINT Study aims to determine the research priorities of orthopedic healthcare workers in Africa, in order to set the agenda for studies into clinical effectiveness in orthopedic trauma surgery on the continent. This study also aims to facilitate and encourage engagement in multi-center national and international clinical research.
After receiving over 800 responses from surgeons and other healthcare practitioners from more than 40 countries across Africa, the study is now complete and data analysis is being undertaken. It will then be submitted for international peer review prior to publication.
AO Alliance and the ORCA team would like to thank all those who gave their time to this essential issue facing the orthopedic community.