Adaptation of the driver behaviour questionnaire and behavioural risk factors for traffic violation arrest and self-reported crash involvement among Nigerian drivers.

CONTEXT: Few studies have been conducted to investigate the driving behaviour of drivers in Africa. AIMS: This study aims to determine the behavioural risk factors for road crashes among Nigerian drivers. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This is a case-control study. Cases were drivers who were booked for traffic violation or who had been involved in road crashes in the past, while the controls were drivers with no such histories. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Both the cases and controls were administered the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was run to examine the factor structure of the scale. Cronbach's alpha was used for assessing the internal consistency of the DBQ, and logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for crash involvement. RESULTS: Six hundred active drivers consisting of 300 cases and 300 controls were selected. The mean scores of all DBQ items, except one, were significantly higher among booked drivers compared to those who had never been booked. Consistent with many previous studies, factor analysis identified three factors in the DBQ (aggressive violation, ordinary violation and error). However, the factors were constructed differently with most ordinary violation items in the original DBQ loading as aggressive violation in the present study. Eight variables were predictive of being booked for traffic offences while only five variables were predictive of self-reported crash involvement. CONCLUSIONS: The most important variable associated with previous crash involvement was alcohol use. A major policy implication of this is the need for better attention to anti-drunk driving measures.

Self-discharge against medical advice from tertiary health institution: A call for concern.

BACKGROUND: Self-discharge by patients without completing their treatment is a problematic issue in healthcare and is strongly associated with readmission and poor treatment outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A descriptive study of the rate and reasons why patients with limb injuries took self-discharge against medical advice (DAMA) from our facility, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, a tertiary health institution between May 2011 and April 2014. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one (16.2%) patients took DAMA out of 810 patients seen with limb injuries. Age ranges from 3 to 95 years with a mean of 36.31 ± 19.34 years. Road traffic crash accounted for 110 (84%) of the injuries. One hundred and sixteen (88.5%) had fractures and 9 (6.9%) had soft tissue injuries. Fifty-eight (44.3%) of the patients were referred cases, 128 (97.7%) signed DAMA form while 3 (2.3%) absconded from the hospital. Reasons for DAMA were mainly; belief more in traditional bone setters (TBSs) (36.6%); pressure from relations (22.9%) and high cost of hospital care (19.8%). One hundred and one (77.1%) of the patients volunteered that they were going to TBS for continued care. CONCLUSION: High percentage of patients DAMA from our facility and majority of them were in favour of unorthodox form of treatment.