The effect of trauma program registry on reported mortality rates

Area of Science:

• Trauma care research
• Medical informatics
• Public health surveillance

Background:

• The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT) uses trauma program registries (TPRs) in site surveys.
• The impact of different TPR brands on mortality rates (MR) within trauma centers (TCs) is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between the brand of trauma program registry (TPR) and mortality rate (MR) in ACSCOT-surveyed trauma centers (TCs).
• To investigate potential variations in MR based on the TPR used for injury severity score (ISS) calculations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 242 ACSCOT adult TC survey reports, including trauma volume, ISS, MR, and TPR.
• Categorization of TCs into Level I, II, and III; identification of six TPR groups (A-F).
• Focus on injury severity score (ISS) range 16-24 for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• No correlation found between MR and TC volume or level for ISS 16-24.
• Significant differences in MR were observed based on the TPR brand utilized by TCs.
• Lower MR (4.8%) in high-volume TCs using TPR A compared to low-volume TCs using TPR A (6.34%).

Conclusions:

• Mortality rates for ISS 16-24 vary among ACSCOT-surveyed TCs depending on the TPR used.
• Potential for improper software use in TPRs may influence reported ISS and MR.
• Improved training in TPR software application is crucial for accurate trauma care outcome studies; manual ISS scoring may be an alternative.