Trauma outcome analysis of two Canadian centres using the TRISS method

Area of Science:

• Trauma Care and Injury Prevention
• Medical Outcomes Research
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• Trauma care quality assessment is crucial for improving patient survival rates.
• The Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) method provides a standardized approach to evaluating trauma care effectiveness.
• Comparing regional trauma center performance against national benchmarks is essential for identifying areas of excellence and improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively compare trauma care outcomes at Hamilton General Hospital (HGH) and Ottawa Civic Hospital (OCH) against the Major Trauma Outcome Study (MTOS) standards.
• To evaluate the TRISS methodology's applicability in assessing trauma care quality in Canadian hospitals.
• To analyze patient demographics, injury severity, and survival rates at two major trauma centers.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 274 adult patients with multiple-system injuries admitted to HGH and OCH.
• Utilized the TRISS method, calculating Trauma Scores (TS) and Injury Severity Scores (ISS).
• Calculated Z and M statistics to compare observed survival with expected survival based on MTOS data.

Main Results:

• Hamilton General Hospital (n=106) showed Z and M statistics of -0.05 and 0.92, respectively.
• Ottawa Civic Hospital (n=168) demonstrated Z and M statistics of 1.20 and 0.56, respectively.
• Both centers predominantly treated blunt trauma, with motor vehicle accidents as the most frequent mechanism of injury.

Conclusions:

• Trauma patient survival statistics at both HGH and OCH are comparable to those reported in the MTOS.
• The TRISS method is a valuable tool for assessing and comparing trauma care quality across different institutions.
• Findings support the effectiveness of trauma care protocols implemented at the studied Canadian hospitals.