Women Anesthesiologists in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Pre-COVID Era: A Multinational Demographic Study.

BACKGROUND: Gender imbalance and poor representation of women complicate the anesthesiology workforce crisis in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study was performed to obtain a better understanding of gender disparity among medical graduates and anesthesiologists in SSA. METHODS: Using a quantitative, participatory, insider research study, led by female anesthesiologists as the national coordinators in SSA, we collected data from academic or national health authorities and agencies. National coordinators were nominees of anesthesiology societies that responded to our email invitations. Data gathered from 13 countries included information on medical graduates, anesthesiologists graduating between 1998 and 2021, and number of anesthesiologists licensed to practice in 2018. We compared data between Francophone and Anglophone countries, and between countries in East Africa and West Africa/Central Africa. We calculated anesthesiology workforce densities and compared representation of women among graduating anesthesiologists and medical graduates.Data analysis was performed using linear regression. We used F-tests on regression slopes to assess the trends in representation of women over the years and the differences between the slopes. A value of P < .050 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Over a 20-year period, the representation of female medical graduates in SSA increased from 29% (1998) to 41% (2017), whereas representation of female anesthesiologists was inconsistent, with an average of 25%, and lagged behind. Growth and gender disparity patterns were different between West Africa/Central Africa and East Africa. Representation of female anesthesiologists was higher in East Africa (39.4%) than West Africa/Central Africa (19.7%); and the representation of female medical graduates in East Africa (42.5%) was also higher that West Africa/Central Africa (33.1%). CONCLUSIONS: On average, in SSA, female medical graduates (36.9%), female anesthesiologists (24.9%), and female anesthesiology residents projected to graduate between 2018 and 2022 (25.2%) were underrepresented when compared to their male counterparts. Women were underrepresented in SSA, despite evidence that their representation in medicine and anesthesiology in East African countries was rising.

The role of collaboration in educating the global pediatric anesthesia workforce.

An estimated 1.7 billion children and adolescents do not have access to safe and affordable surgical care, and the vast majority of these are located in low-middle-income countries (LMICs). Pediatric anesthesia, a specialized field that requires a diverse set of knowledge and skills, has seen various advancements over the years and has become well-established in upper-middle and high-income countries. However, in LMICs, due to a multitude of factors including severe workforce shortages, this has not been the case. Collaborations play a vital role in increasing the capacity of pediatric anesthesiology educators and training the pediatric anesthesia workforce. These efforts directly increase access for children who require surgical intervention. Collaboration models can be operationalized through bidirectional knowledge sharing, training, resource allocation, research and innovation, quality improvement, networking, and advocacy. This article aims to highlight a few of these collaborative efforts. Specifically, the role that the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists, the Safer Anesthesia from Education program, the Asian Society of Pediatric Anaesthesiologists, Pediatric Anesthesia Training in Africa, the Paediatric Anaesthesia Network New Zealand, the Safe Pediatric Anesthesia Network and two WhatsApp™ groups (global ped anesthesia and the Pediatric Difficult Intubation Collaborative) have played in improving anesthesiology care for children.

Improving Surgical Research Capacity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Can Episodic Data Collection Reliably Estimate Perioperative Mortality?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to empirically determine the optimal sample size needed to reliably estimate perioperative mortality (POMR) in different contexts. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: POMR is a key metric for measuring the quality and safety of surgical systems and will need to be tracked as surgical care is scaled up globally. Continuous collection of outcomes for all surgical cases is not the standard in high-income countries and may not be necessary in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We created simulated datasets to determine the sampling frame needed to reach a given precision. We validated our findings using data collected at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. We used these data to create a tool that can be used to determine the optimal sampling frame for a population based on POMR rate and target POMR improvement goal. RESULTS: Precision improved as the sampling frame increased. However, as POMR increased, lower sampling percentages were needed to achieve a given precision. A total of 357 eligible cases were identified in the Mulago database with an overall POMR rate of 14%. Precision of ±10% was achieved with 34% sampling, and precision of ±25% was obtained at 9% sampling. Using simulated datasets, a tool was created to determine the minimum sample percentage needed to detect a given mortality improvement goal. CONCLUSIONS: Reliably tracking POMR does not require continuous data collection. Data driven sampling strategies can be used to decrease the burden of data collection to track POMR in resource-constrained settings.

Met and Unmet Need for Pediatric Surgical Access in Uganda: A Country-Wide Prospective Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Children's surgical access in low and low-middle income countries is severely limited. Investigations detailing met and unmet surgical access are necessary to inform appropriate resource allocation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Surgical volume, outcomes, and distribution of pediatric general surgical procedures were analyzed using prospective pediatric surgical databases from four separate regional hospitals in Uganda. The current averted burden of surgical disease through pediatric surgical delivery in Uganda and the unmet surgical need based on estimates from high-income country data was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 8514 patients were treated at the four hospitals over a 6-year period corresponding to 1350 pediatric surgical cases per year in Uganda or six surgical cases per 100,000 children per year. The majority of complex congenital anomalies and surgical oncology cases were performed at Mulago and Mbarara Hospitals, which have dedicated pediatric surgical teams (P < 0.0001). The averted burden of pediatric surgical disease was 27,000 disability adjusted life years per year, which resulted in an economic benefit of approximately 23 million USD per year. However, the average case volume performed at the four regional hospitals currently represents 1% of the total projected pediatric surgical need. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation is one of the first to demonstrate the distribution of pediatric surgical procedures at a country level through the use of a prospective locally created database. Significant disease burden was averted by local pediatric and adult surgical teams, demonstrating the economic benefit of pediatric surgical care delivery. These findings support several ongoing strategies to increase pediatric surgical access in Uganda.

Delivery of Safe Pediatric Anesthesia Care in the First 8000 days: Realities, Challenges, and Solutions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, perioperative mortality has declined over the past 50 years, but the reduction is skewed toward high-income countries (HICs). Currently, pediatric perioperative mortality is much higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to HICs, despite studied cohorts being predominantly low-risk. These disparities must be studied and addressed. METHODS: A narrative review of the literature was undertaken to identify contributing factors and potential knowledge gaps. Interventions aimed at alleviating the outcomes disparities are discussed, and recommendations are made for future directions. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of adequately trained pediatric anesthesia providers in LMICs, and the number must be bolstered by making such training available. Essential anesthesia medications and equipment, in pediatric-appropriate sizes, are often not available; neither are essential infrastructure items. Perioperative staff are underprepared for emergent situations that may arise and simulation training may help to ameliorate this. The global anesthesia community has implemented several solutions to address these issues. The World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) and Global Initiative for Children's Surgery have published standards that outline essential items for the provision of safe perioperative pediatric care. Several short educational courses have been developed and introduced in LMICs that either specifically address pediatric patients, or contain a pediatric component. The WFSA also maintains a collection of discrete tutorials for educational purposes. Finally, in Africa, large-scale, prospective data collection is underway to examine pediatric perioperative outcomes. More work needs to be done, though, to improve perioperative outcomes for pediatric patients in LMICs.

A Cross-Sectional Survey of Anesthetic Airway Equipment and Airway Management Practices in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesia-related causes contribute to a significant proportion of perioperative deaths, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is evidence that complications related to failed airway management are a significant contributor to perioperative morbidity and mortality. While existing data have highlighted the magnitude of airway management complications in LMICs, there are inadequate data to understand their root causes. This study aimed to pilot an airway management capacity tool that evaluates airway management resources, provider practices, and experiences with difficult airways in an attempt to better understand potential contributing factors to airway management challenges. METHODS: We developed a novel airway management capacity assessment tool through a nonsystematic review of existing literature on anesthesia and airway management in LMICs, internationally recognized difficult airway algorithms, minimum standards for equipment, the safe practice of anesthesia, and the essential medicines and health supplies list of Uganda. We distributed the survey tool during conferences and workshops, to anesthesia care providers from across the spectrum of surgical care facilities in Uganda. The data were analyzed using descriptive methods. RESULTS: Between May 2017 and May 2018, 89 of 93 surveys were returned (17% of anesthesia providers in the country) from all levels of health facilities that provide surgical services in Uganda. Equipment for routine airway management was available to all anesthesia providers surveyed, but with a limited range of sizes. Pediatric airway equipment was always available 54% of the time. There was limited availability of capnography (15%), video laryngoscopes (4%), cricothyroidotomy kits (6%), and fiber-optic bronchoscopes (7%). Twenty-one percent (18/87) of respondents reported experiencing a "can't intubate, can't ventilate" (CICV) scenario in the 12 months preceding the survey, while 63% (54/86) reported experiencing at least 1 CICV during their career. Eighty-five percent (74/87) of respondents reported witnessing a severe airway management complication during their career, with 21% (19/89) witnessing a death as a result of a CICV scenario. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed and implemented an airway management capacity tool that describes airway management practices in Uganda. Using this tool, we have identified significant gaps in access to airway management resources. Gaps identified by the survey, along with advocacy by the Association of Anesthesiologists of Uganda, in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, have led to some progress in closing these gaps. Expanding the availability of airway management resources further, providing more airway management training, and identifying opportunities to support skilled workforce expansion have the potential to improve perioperative safety in Uganda.

Defining Surgical Workforce Density Targets to Meet Child and Neonatal Mortality Rate Targets in the Age of the Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: To reduce preventable deaths of newborns and children, the United Nations set a target rate per 1000 live births of 12 for neonatal mortality (NMR) and 25 for under-5 mortality (U5MR). The purpose of this paper is to define the minimum surgical workforce needed to meet these targets and evaluate the relative impact of increasing surgeon, anesthesia, and obstetrician (SAO) density on reducing child mortality. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 192 countries to define the association between surgical workforce density and U5MR as well as NMR using unadjusted and adjusted B-spline regression, adjusting for common non-surgical causes of childhood mortality. We used these models to estimate the minimum surgical workforce to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) for U5MR and NMR and marginal effects plots to determine over which range of SAO densities the largest impact is seen as countries scale-up SAO workforce. RESULTS: We found that increased SAO density is associated with decreased U5MR and NMR (P < 0.05), adjusting for common non-surgical causes of child mortality. A minimum SAO density of 10 providers per 100,000 population (95% CI: 7-13) is associated with an U5MR of < 25 per 1000 live births. A minimum SAO density of 12 (95% CI: 9-20) is associated with an NMR of < 12 per 1000 live births. The maximum decrease in U5MR, on the basis of our adjusted B-spline model, occurs from 0 to 20 SAO per 100,000 population. The maximum decrease in NMR based on our adjusted B-spline model occurs up from 0 to 18 SAO, with additional decrease seen up to 80 SAO. CONCLUSIONS: Scale-up of the surgical workforce to 12 SAO per 100,000 population may help health systems meet the SDG goals for childhood mortality rates. Increases in up to 80 SAO/100,000 continue to offer mortality benefit for neonates and would help to achieve the SDGs for neonatal mortality reduction.

Pediatric surgery backlog at a Ugandan tertiary care facility: COVID-19 makes a chronic problem acutely worse.

BACKGROUND: 1.7 billion of the world's 2.2 billion children do not have access to surgical care. COVID-19 acutely exacerbated this problem; delaying or preventing presentation and access to surgical care globally. We sought to quantify the effect of COVID-19 on children requiring surgery in Uganda. METHODS: Average monthly incident, elective pediatric surgical patient volume was calculated by sampling clinic logs before and during the pandemic, and case volume was quantified by reviewing operative logbooks for all surgeries in 2020 at Mulago Hospital, Kampala. Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) resulting from untreated disease were calculated and used to estimate economic impact using three different models. RESULTS: Expected elective pediatric surgery cases were 956. In 2020, pediatric surgery at Mulago was limited to 46 elective cases, approximately 5% of the expected incident cases, leading to a backlog of 910 patients and a loss of 10,620.12 DALYs. The economic impact of more than 10,000 disability years in Uganda is conservatively estimated at $23 million USD with other measures estimating ~ $120 million USD. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic limited access to pediatric surgery in Uganda, making a chronic problem acutely worse, with costly consequences for the children and health system.

Academic Global Surgery Curricula: Current Status and a Call for a More Equitable Approach.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to search the literature for global surgical curricula, assess if published resources align with existing competency frameworks in global health and surgical education, and determine if there is consensus around a fundamental set of competencies for the developing field of academic global surgery. METHODS: We reviewed SciVerse SCOPUS, PubMed, African Medicus Index, African Journals Online (AJOL), SciELO, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) and Bioline for manuscripts on global surgery curricula and evaluated the results using existing competency frameworks in global health and surgical education from Consortium of the Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) professional competencies. RESULTS: Our search generated 250 publications, of which 18 were eligible: (1) a total of 10 reported existing competency-based curricula that were concurrent with international experiences, (2) two reported existing pre-departure competency-based curricula, (3) six proposed theoretical competency-based curricula for future global surgery education. All, but one, were based in high-income countries (HICs) and focused on the needs of HIC trainees. None met all 17 competencies, none cited the CUGH competency on "Health Equity and Social Justice" and only one mentioned "Social and Environmental Determinants of Health." Only 22% (n = 4) were available as open-access. CONCLUSION: Currently, there is no universally accepted set of competencies on the fundamentals of academic global surgery. Existing literature are predominantly by and for HIC institutions and trainees. Current frameworks are inadequate for this emerging academic field. The field needs competencies with explicit input from LMIC experts to ensure creation of educational resources that are accessible and relevant to trainees from around the world.

We Asked the Experts: The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations for Content and Implementation Adaptations.

BACKGROUND: As surgical systems are forced to adapt and respond to new challenges, so should the patient safety tools within those systems. We sought to determine how the WHO SSC might best be adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: 18 Panelists from five continents and multiple clinical specialties participated in a three-round modified Delphi technique to identify potential recommendations, assess agreement with proposed recommendations and address items not meeting consensus. RESULTS: From an initial 29 recommendations identified in the first round, 12 were identified for inclusion in the second round. After discussion of recommendations without consensus for inclusion or exclusion, four additional recommendations were added for an eventual 16 recommendations. Nine of these recommendations were related to checklist content, while seven recommendations were related to implementation. CONCLUSIONS: This multinational panel has identified 16 recommendations for sites looking to use the surgical safety checklist during the COVID-19 pandemic. These recommendations provide an example of how the SSC can adapt to meet urgent and emerging needs of surgical systems by targeting important processes and encouraging critical discussions.

Factors affecting job choice among physician anesthesia providers in Uganda: a survey of income composition, discrete choice experiment, and implications for the decision to work rurally.

BACKGROUND: One of the biggest barriers to accessing safe surgical and anesthetic care is lack of trained providers. Uganda has one of the largest deficits in anesthesia providers in the world, and though they are increasing in number, they remain concentrated in the capital city. Salary is an oft-cited barrier to rural job choice, yet the size and sources of anesthesia provider incomes are unclear, and so the potential income loss from taking a rural job is unknown. Additionally, while salary augmentation is a common policy proposal to increase rural job uptake, the relative importance of non-monetary job factors in job choice is also unknown. METHODS: A survey on income sources and magnitude, and a Discrete Choice Experiment examining the relative importance of monetary and non-monetary factors in job choice, was administered to 37 and 47 physician anesthesiologists in Uganda, between May-June 2019. RESULTS: No providers worked only at government jobs. Providers earned most of their total income from a non-government job (50% of income, 23% of working hours), but worked more hours at their government job (36% of income, and 44% of working hours). Providers felt the most important job attributes were the quality of the facility and scope of practice they could provide, and the presence of a colleague (33% and 32% overall relative importance). These were more important than salary and living conditions (14% and 12% importance). CONCLUSIONS: No providers accepted the salary from a government job alone, which was always augmented by other work. However, few providers worked only nongovernment jobs. Non-monetary incentives are powerful influencers of job preference, and may be leveraged as policy options to attract providers. Salary continues to be an important driver of job choice, and jobs with fewer income generating opportunities (e.g. private work in rural areas) are likely to need salary augmentation to attract providers.

Burden and Outcomes of Neonatal Surgery in Uganda: Results of a Five-Year Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Ninety-four percent of congenital anomalies occur in low- and middle-income countries. In Uganda, only three pediatric surgeons and three pediatric anesthesiologists serve more than 20 million children. This study estimates burden, outcomes, coverage, and economic benefit of neonatal surgical conditions in Uganda. METHODS: A prospectively collected database was reviewed for neonatal surgical admissions from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, at the only two sites with specialist pediatric surgical coverage. Outcomes were compared with high-income countries. Met and unmet need were estimated using disability-adjusted life years. Economic benefit was estimated using a value of statistical life-year approach. RESULTS: For 1313 neonatal admissions, the median age of presentation was 3 d, overall mortality was 36%, and median distance traveled was 40 km. Anorectal malformations were most common (18%). Postoperative mortality was 24%. Mortality was significantly associated with surgical intervention (P < 0.0001). Met need was 4181 disability-adjusted life years per year, which corresponds to a $3.5 million net economic benefit to Uganda, with a potential additional benefit of $153 million if unmet need were fully addressed. Approximately 2% of the total need is met by the health care system. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal surgery is associated with improved survival for most conditions. Despite increases in workforce and infrastructure, a limited proportion of the need for neonatal surgery is currently being met. This is multifactorial, including lack of access to surgical care and severe shortages of workforce and infrastructure. Current and potential economic benefit to Uganda appears substantial.

Unifying Children's Surgery and Anesthesia Stakeholders Across Institutions and Clinical Disciplines: Challenges and Solutions from Uganda.

BACKGROUND: There is a significant unmet need for children's surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Multidisciplinary collaboration is required to advance the surgical and anesthesia care of children's surgical conditions such as congenital conditions, cancer and injuries. Nonetheless, there are limited examples of this process from LMICs. We describe the development and 3-year outcomes following a 2015 stakeholders' meeting in Uganda to catalyze multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration. METHODS: The stakeholders' meeting was a daylong conference held in Kampala with local, regional and international collaborators in attendance. Multiple clinical specialties including surgical subspecialists, pediatric anesthesia, perioperative nursing, pediatric oncology and neonatology were represented. Key thematic areas including infrastructure, training and workforce retention, service delivery, and research and advocacy were addressed, and short-term objectives were agreed upon. We reported the 3-year outcomes following the meeting by thematic area. RESULTS: The Pediatric Surgical Foundation was developed following the meeting to formalize coordination between institutions. Through international collaborations, operating room capacity has increased. A pediatric general surgery fellowship has expanded at Mulago and Mbarara hospitals supplemented by an international fellowship in multiple disciplines. Coordinated outreach camps have continued to assist with training and service delivery in rural regional hospitals. CONCLUSION: Collaborations between disciplines, both within LMICs and with international partners, are required to advance children's surgery. The unification of stakeholders across clinical disciplines and institutional partnerships can facilitate increased children's surgical capacity. Such a process may prove useful in other LMICs with a wide range of children's surgery stakeholders.

Postoperative pain after cesarean section: assessment and management in a tertiary hospital in a low-income country.

BACKGROUND: There is little information about the current management of pain after obstetric surgery at Mulago hospital in Uganda, one of the largest hospitals in Africa with approximately 32,000 deliveries per year. The primary goal of this study was to assess the severity of post cesarean section pain. Secondary objectives were to identify analgesic medications used to control post cesarean section pain and resultant patient satisfaction. METHODS: We prospectively followed 333 women who underwent cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Subjective assessment of the participants' pain was done using the Visual Analogue Scale (0 to 100) at 0, 6 and 24 h after surgery. Satisfaction with pain control was ascertained at 24 h after surgery using a 2-point scale (yes/no). Participants' charts were reviewed for records of analgesics administered. RESULTS: Pain control medications used in the first 24 h following cesarean section at this hospital included diclofenac only, pethidine only, tramadol only and multiple pain medications. There were mothers who did not receive any analgesic medication. The highest pain scores were reported at 6 h (median: 37; (IQR:37.5). 68% of participants reported they were satisfied with their pain control. CONCLUSION: Adequate management of post-cesarean section pain remains a challenge at Mulago hospital. Greater inter-professional collaboration, self-administered analgesia, scheduled prescription orders and increasing availability of analgesic drugs may contribute to improved treatment of postoperative pain with better pain scores.

Knowledge, attitudes and use of labour analgesia among women at a low-income country antenatal clinic.

BACKGROUND: Childbirth is one of the most painful experiences of a woman's life. Authorities in the fields of obstetrics and anaesthesia encourage use of labour analgesia. Unlike in high-income countries, pain relief in labour in Africa is not a well established service, especially in the low-income countries like Uganda. Little is known about whether parturients would be amenable to labour analgesia. We sought to determine knowledge, attitudes and use of labour analgesia among women attending the antenatal clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital. METHODS: Upon obtaining institutional approval, we conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study. Women were requested to complete the researcher-administered survey following informed consent. The study was conducted in the general antenatal clinic at the Mulago National Referral Hospital. RESULTS: Of 1293 participants interviewed, only 7 % of the participants had knowledge of labour analgesia. Of the multiparous mothers 87.9 % did not have labour analgesia in their previous deliveries, although 79.2 % of them had delivered in a national referral hospital. The commonest reason for refusal of labour analgesia was to experience natural childbirth. 87.7 % of the participants wanted labour analgesia for their next delivery. CONCLUSION: There is a wide gap between the desire for labour analgesia and its availability. Obstetricians and anaesthesiologists have a role to educate the women, and to provide this much desired service.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Use of Local Anaesthetics Among Non-Anaesthesia Healthcare Professionals at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

Introduction: Local anaesthetics (LA) are commonly used in dental and surgical emergency wards by both anaesthesia professionals and non-anaesthesia professionals. Anecdotal evidence shows that non-anaesthesia health-care professionals do not monitor vital signs during the use of local anaesthesia, and there are no standard hospital guidelines on the use of LA and management of LA toxicity by non-anaesthesia professionals. Purpose: This study sought to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding local anaesthetic use among non-anaesthesia health-care professionals at Mulago National Referral Hospital. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that utilized a quantitative research approach. The sample size of the study was 43 non-anaesthesia healthcare professionals from the casualty and surgical outpatient wards and Mulago dental ward. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using STATA 15. Results: Overall, 66.67% of the Specialist, 76.47% of the senior house officers, 100% of medical officers, and 80% of the clinical orthopedic house officers had unsatisfactory levels of knowledge in Mulago casualty and surgical outpatient wards. 20% of the specialist and 16.67% of the senior house officers had unsatisfactory levels of knowledge in Mulago dental ward. 87.5% of the non-anaesthesia health-care professionals do not give a test dose on a routine basis in Mulago casualty and surgical outpatient wards. A total of 63.64% of the non-anaesthesia healthcare professionals in Mulago dental ward do not sterilize the site of injection. Conclusion: Non-anaesthesia health-care professionals had unsatisfactory levels of knowledge, somewhat good practices, and negative attitudes toward LA use.

Injury patterns in patients with severe traumatic brain injuries from motor crashes admitted to Mulago hospital accidents & emergency unit.

Background: The global burden of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) is increasing. Uganda has one of the highest rates of RTCs in Sub-Sahara. Victims of RTCs sustain varying degrees of injuries depending on factors including the velocity at time of impact, protective gear; and if it was a motorcycle-motorcycle or motorcycle-vehicle crash. High speed collisions can result in severe forms of injuries and polytrauma. Some injuries are undetected. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried at Mulago Hospital Accidents & Emergency Unit, between November 2021 and February 2022; on all adult patients (≥18 years) with severe head injury from motor road traffic crashes. The study looked at injury patterns and assessed the relationship of polytrauma in patients with severe head injury to the mechanism of injury (motorcycles versus vehicles). Data were extracted from patient charts using a validated data abstraction tool and complete head to toe physical examination was carried out and injuries recorded. Data were analysed to determine the relationship of polytrauma in patients with severe head injury to the mechanism of injury. Results: The participants were predominantly males with a population median age of 32 (25-39). The commonest modes of transportation of patients to the hospital were Police Pickup trucks (40%) and ambulance (36.1%). Among motorcycle RTCs, (19.2%) wore helmets; 21.2% had protective gear; with injury identified mainly in; the limbs (84.8%), neck (76.8%), chest (39.4%), and abdomen (26.3%). Patients from vehicle RTCs were 19% more likely to have polytrauma compared to patients from motorcycle RTCs. Conclusions: This study showed that patients who sustain severe traumatic brain injuries from vehicle crashes have an increased likelihood of having multiple injuries, compared to patients from motorcycle RTCs. For motorcycle users, injuries mostly affect the limbs. At particular risk are motorcyclists who do not wear helmets and protective coveralls.