Identifying indicators and evaluation steps with suggestions for improving trauma care in Iran: experts' perspective

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Trauma remains a leading global cause of mortality, necessitating timely and organized patient care.
• Variations in trauma care outcomes highlight the need for systematic evaluation and improvement strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather expert opinions on essential components of trauma care evaluation.
• To identify key indicators and strategies for enhancing trauma care quality.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing conventional content analysis.
• Data collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with purposively sampled experts.
• Analysis involved thematic classification of expert viewpoints.

Main Results:

• Four core themes emerged: importance of trauma care, comprehensive indicators (pre-hospital, in-hospital, post-hospital), stages of evaluation, and improvement strategies.
• Key improvement strategies include workload balancing, information system enhancement, and provider empowerment.
• Experts emphasized the need for context-specific evaluation programs.

Conclusions:

• Trauma significantly impacts young, productive individuals, underscoring the importance of effective care.
• Standardized indicators are vital for health managers to identify and address performance gaps in trauma care.
• Recommendations include policy reform, infrastructure development, and education to improve trauma care systems.