Clinical Profile of Patients Attending the MACT Board In A Tertiary Care Centre In Kerala – A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Following a motor vehicle accident, individuals may seek compensation for their disabilities through legal channels, which involves attending the Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal (MACT) board. Understanding the clinical profile of these patients and the types of disabilities they sustain can be crucial.

Aim: To assess the clinical profile of patients attending the MACT board of a tertiary care centre in Kerala.

Methods: A record-based cross-sectional study was conducted on the patients referred to a tertiary care center for the disability assessment by MACT for a period of one year. The relevant data were entered in a pre-designed proforma for the study, and descriptive statistics were computed.

Results: Among the 248 patients who attended the board, the mean age of the patients was 44.2 years, and the majority were males.  Fractures were most common type of injury followed by Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), subdural haemorrhage was the most common type of TBI, and frontal lobe was the most commonly involved lobe., 196 (79.03%) were found as disabled, locomotor 156 (80%) being the most common type of disability. TBI was seen in 90 (36.4%); among them, 19 (9.7%) had a psychiatric disability, with the work domain of the Indian Disability and Evaluation Scale being the most affected.

Conclusion: The study brings forth the clinical profile of patients attending the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal Board. A large majority of patients attending the board were found to be disabled, and many had to wait for more than five years for disability assessment. This highlights the need for more centres for disability assessment for these patients, as well as the need for awareness regarding rehabilitation and more rehabilitation facilities for these patients.