Emergency department care for trauma patients in settings of active conflict versus urban violence: all of the same calibre?

Trauma is a leading cause of death and represents a major problem in developing countries where access to good quality emergency care is limited. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) delivered a standard package of care in two trauma emergency departments (EDs) in different violence settings: Kunduz, Afghanistan, and Tabarre, Haiti. This study aims to assess whether this standard package resulted in a similar performance in these very different contexts. This study supports for the first time the plausibility of using the same ED package in different settings. Mapping of patient attendance is essential for planning of human resources needs.