Background: Self-discharge by patients without completing their treatment is a problematic issue in healthcare and is strongly associated with readmission and poor treatment outcome.
Patients and methods: A descriptive study of the rate and reasons why patients with limb injuries took self-discharge against medical advice (DAMA) from our facility, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, a tertiary health institution between May 2011 and April 2014.
Results: One hundred and thirty-one (16.2%) patients took DAMA out of 810 patients seen with limb injuries. Age ranges from 3 to 95 years with a mean of 36.31 ± 19.34 years. Road traffic crash accounted for 110 (84%) of the injuries. One hundred and sixteen (88.5%) had fractures and 9 (6.9%) had soft tissue injuries. Fifty-eight (44.3%) of the patients were referred cases, 128 (97.7%) signed DAMA form while 3 (2.3%) absconded from the hospital. Reasons for DAMA were mainly; belief more in traditional bone setters (TBSs) (36.6%); pressure from relations (22.9%) and high cost of hospital care (19.8%). One hundred and one (77.1%) of the patients volunteered that they were going to TBS for continued care.
Conclusion: High percentage of patients DAMA from our facility and majority of them were in favour of unorthodox form of treatment.