Update on trauma care in Canada. 6. Update on trauma registries and trauma scoring
Vestrup, J.A.
Canadian Journal of Surgery. Journal Canadien de Chirurgie 33(6): 461-463
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-428X PMID: 2253123 Document Number: 350874
Developments in microcomputer technology and user friendly software have resulted in rapidly expanding interest in trauma registries and injury scoring. The trauma registry, particularly when it is population based, is an empowering tool for epidemiologic research, planning of trauma systems, development of prevention programs, outcome evaluation and research. Injury coding performed in conjunction with trauma registry can also provide the basis for institutional quality assurance. The Major Trauma Outcome Study has played a major role in this, through the development of normative standards, permitting inter-institutional comparisons. These issues as well as some of the present Canadian and American initiatives in the trauma registry field are reviewed in this paper. Advances in injury scaling are addressed as are some of the limitations in existing coding methodologies.