Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Aim:
The aim of the study was to establish the profile of patients due to alleged physical
assault seen at the casualty department of Schweizer-Reneke District hospital.
Objectives:
To determine the characteristics of patients with injuries due to alleged physical
assaults.
To document the pattern of injuries due to alleged physical assaults presented at the
casualty department of Schweizer-Reneke District Hospital.
To determine the circumstances that influenced the alleged physical assaults on
these patients.
Design: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study of victims of alleged physical
assault.
Setting: Schweizer Reneke District Hospital, located in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati
Health District, in the North West Province of South Africa.
Participants: Sixty-four (64) consenting patients, who presented at the casualty of
Schweizer-Reneke District Hospital with injuries due to alleged physical assault, from the
1 st of March 2010 to the 31 st of August 2010, formed the sample.
Results:
The main findings were:
The majority of the victims were males (78%), with a mean age of 31 years. Fifty per
cent of the injuries were inflicted on the head, in both male and female victims.
