Who suffers severe hand injuries?

Kevin Moissinac¹, Boon Chong Se To², Sukumar Mabesan^2, Ahmad Tajuddin Jaafar³

1. Penang Medical College and Hospital Pulau Pinang

2. Hospital Pulau Pinang

3. Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur

Correspondence: Dr Kevin Moissinac; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CITATION: Kevin Moissinac, Boon Chong Se To, Sukumar Mabesan, Ahmad Tajuddin Jaafar. Who suffers severe hand injuries? International Medical Research Journal. 2001;5(2):87–9. 

Download Full Article

ABSTRACT

Hand injuries can result in significant functional and socioeconomic impairment. A review was undertaken to determine who suffered severe hand injuries and the conditions under which these occurred. A retrospective review of all patients with hand injuries requiring hospital admission of more than 24 hours in a primary referral centre over a 6-month period was carried out. A total of 135 patients were included in the study. All were male, with 70.5% aged~ 30 years old; 78.5% were Malaysians and 21.5% foreigners. All (100%) severe hand injuries were associated with industrial accidents. The majority (62.2%) occurred in one particular district within the hospital's catchment area. Hand injuries could be due to the industrial activity or a particular type of industrial activity within the hospital's catchment area. A more comprehensive study involving a larger sample may provide more information.

KEYWORDS: hand injuries, primary referral centre, industrial activity