Sudden and Unexpected Deaths among Women of Reproductive age – Qualitative Analysis of Risk Factors

Introduction: Unnatural deaths in women of reproductive age (range 12-49 years) have a serious psychological and social impact on the family and community. Women of reproductive age comprise a vulnerable section of the society as they are confronted with menstrual and pregnancy related stress factors in addition to the stressors prevalent in the general population. Aim: To analyse the socio-epidemiological and medicolegal factors involved in unnatural deaths among women of reproductive age. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1379 unnatural deaths of women of reproductive age subjected to medico-legal autopsy during a period of five years. Information was based on documents submitted by police at the time of autopsy and postmortem reports. Various demographic and medico-legal parameters were studied in detail. Results: Unnatural deaths among women of reproductive age were 1415 (25.2%) cases of total autopsy. Road traffic accidents with 684 (49.6%) cases followed by poisoning in 157 (11.3%), hanging in 133 (9.6%), burn in 114 (8.2%) and railway injuries in 108 (7.8%) cases were the leading causes of death. Nature of death was accidental in 877 (63.6%) cases followed by suicide in 434 (31.5%) cases and homicide in 68 (4.9%) cases. Dowry related deaths accounted for 247 (22.7%) deaths. Poisoning in 152 (35%) cases followed by hanging in 133 (30.6%) and burn in 71 (16.4%) cases respectively were the most common methods of suicide. Strangulation or smothering with 33 (48.5%) cases was preferred method of homicide. Road traffic and railway injuries in 727 (82.8%) cases constituted the bulk of accidental deaths. Married women with 1087 (78.9%) cases and housewives in 917 (66.5%) cases from combined families in 829 (60.1%) cases from rural background in 875 (63.5%) cases with low socioeconomic in 912 (66.1%) cases and poor education in 739 (53.6%) cases were the most vulnerable victims. Conclusion: There is a strong association of various socioepidemiological and medico-legal factors with respect to unnatural deaths among women of reproductive age group. To bring down the incidences of such deaths, multipronged preventive measures have been suggested

Public awareness lectures at hospital complex of AIIMS Bhubaneswar: Bridging the gap between people and healthcare professionals

Health communication forms an important link in a doctor patient relationship. Public health awareness lectures are organised across the world to disseminate key messages related to health and to improve the doctor patient interaction. With a plethora of information in this age of social media, which are many a time incomplete and erroneous, it is all the more important that people get the right information based on scientific evidence. In this article we intend to describe our experience of public awareness lectures held at AIIMS Bhubaneswar over the last one year

Executive health checkup package at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar: A novel approach

Early detectionof a disease leads to relatively simple courses of treatment and prevents life-threatening complications. Many health conditions can be corrected or maybe improved through treatment modalities if they are discovered by health screening facilities. Health screening program such as executive health checkup is convenient, affordable, inexpensive, and vastly beneficial for the patients. Hence, health screening saves lives immensely by early detection of diseases and preventing serious complications. It is an effective component of healthcare. It achieves more positive effects than medical treatment and at a lower cost. Health promotion is aimed at influencing people's social circumstances and lifestyles so that their health is improved (or maintained) and disease is prevented