A consensus statement for trauma surgery capacity building in Latin America

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Trauma Care
• Health Policy

Background:

• Trauma represents a major public health challenge in Latin America, causing significant mortality and morbidity.
• Existing trauma registries and injury surveillance systems are fragmented across Latin American countries.
• A unified, integrated trauma system is currently lacking in the region.

Framework:

• The Delphi method was employed with 25 regional experts in trauma and emergency care.
• Consensus was defined as agreement among at least 70% of the expert panel.
• The goal was to establish strategic steps for trauma data management in Latin America.

Implementation:

• A consensus conference convened experts to discuss the current state of trauma data collection.
• Recommendations were developed for academic bodies, scientific societies, and ministries of health.
• The focus was on fostering a culture of health data collection and utilization in trauma care.

Implications:

• The expert group achieved consensus on actionable recommendations for key stakeholders in trauma information systems.
• These recommendations aim to enhance capacity building for trauma research.
• The findings support the development of trauma health policy informed by robust data in Latin America.