[Spatial distribution of traumatic brain injury cases seen at the trauma units of reference in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil]. / Distribución espacial de los casos de traumatismos craneoencefálicos atendidos en unidades de referencia en Salvador, Bahía, Brasil.

An exploratory study was performed with patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the period from July 31, 2007 to August 1, 2008. The spatial distribution of the TBI cases seen at the trauma unit of reference in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil was analyzed. Both the residential addresses and places of occurrence were geocoded by means of GPS receiver devices. The spatial aggregation of cases was evaluated using the nearest neighbor hierarchical clustering technique in the CrimeStat® 3.2 program. TBI cases were not randomly distributed; rather, they formed clusters in relation to both place of residence and place of occurrence of the trauma. Many of the clusters were identified in areas far removed from the locations of emergency services as well as from the locations where multi-professional rehabilitation is offered. Thus, the spatial distribution of the health services, in relation to the places of occurrence of TBI, reveals inequalities.

Distribución espacial de los casos de traumatismos craneoencefálicos atendidos en unidades de referencia en Salvador, Bahía, Brasil / Spatial distribution of traumatic brain injury cases seen at the trauma units of reference in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Se realizó un estudio exploratorio con pacientes que sufrieron traumatismos cráneoencefálicos (TCE) entre el 31 de julio del 2007 y el 1 de agosto del 2008. Se analizó la distribución espacial de los casos atendidos en la unidad de referencia para traumatismos de la Región Metropolitana de Salvador, Bahía, Brasil. Los domicilios residenciales y los lugares de ocurrencia de los TCE fueron geocodificados por medio del dispositivo receptor Global Positioning System (GPS) y se realizó la agregación espacial de los casos por medio de la técnica de conglomerados jerárquicos de vecinos más próximos utilizando el aplicativo CrimeStat® 3.2. Los casos de TCE no se distribuyeron de forma aleatoria sino formando conglomerados, tanto en relación con los domicilios de residencia como con el lugar de ocurrencia. Muchos de los conglomerados se identificaron en áreas distantes de los lugares de atención a la urgencia y de los lugares en que se ofrece rehabilitación multiprofesional, por lo que la distribución espacial de los servicios de salud, en relación con los lugares de ocurrencia de los TCE, revela inequidades.

An exploratory study was performed with patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the period from July 31, 2007 to August 1, 2008. The spatial distribution of the TBI cases seen at the trauma unit of reference in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil was analyzed. Both the residential addresses and places of occurrence were geocoded by means of GPS receiver devices. The spatial aggregation of cases was evaluated using the nearest neighbor hierarchical clustering technique in the CrimeStat® 3.2 program. TBI cases were not randomly distributed; rather, they formed clusters in relation to both place of residence and place of occurrence of the trauma. Many of the clusters were identified in areas far removed from the locations of emergency services as well as from the locations where multi-professional rehabilitation is offered. Thus, the spatial distribution of the health services, in relation to the places of occurrence of TBI, reveals inequalities.