The Economic Burden of Road Traffic Injuries in Patients Addmited to Hospitals of Tabriz

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Given the importance of estimating the economic burden of Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) in providing evidence to policymakers as well as differences in previous estimates of the economic burden of these injuries in different countries, the current study aimed to estimate the economic burden of RTIs as percentages of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and health expenditure Low- and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) versus the High Income Countries (HICs). Materials and Methods: We systematically reviewed the original published articles on the costs of RTIs through searching the academic databases such of PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, ProQuest, SID, IranMedex and Magiran Limited from 1999 to 2017. Articles which presented direct and/or indirect and/or intangible costs in monetary values generable to the country of study were eligible for inclusion. Results: 29 articles from twenty-two countries met the inclusion criteria, of which thirteen were presenting the data for HICs and sixteen for LMICs. The mean economic burden of RTIs as a percentage of GDP in HICs and LMICs was respectively 1.77% and 3.65%; and the mean economic burden of RTIs as a percentage of health expenditure was 20.74% in HICS and 55.91% in LMICs. Conclusions: RTIs take a very considerable shares of GDP and health expenditure in both country groups especially in LMICS. This evidence emphasizes the importance of cost-benefit road safety interventions especially in LMICs which are being challenged by growing RTIs.