The Kampala Trauma Score: A 20-year track record

Area of Science:

• Trauma Care Systems
• Injury Severity Assessment
• Global Health

Background:

• Standardizing injury severity quantification is crucial for trauma care quality improvement and health policy.
• Complex injury severity scores pose implementation challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• The Kampala Trauma Score (KTS) was developed as a simplified alternative for resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the documented use and assess the ongoing utility of the Kampala Trauma Score (KTS).
• To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the KTS in determining injury severity.
• To understand the legacy and effectiveness of the KTS over two decades.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search of three databases identified scientific papers on the KTS.
• Google Scholar was used to find relevant grey literature.
• Inclusion criteria were applied to 357 retrieved papers, with 199 meeting the criteria for analysis.

Main Results:

• Eighty-five studies from 16 countries utilized the KTS in clinical practice.
• Thirty-seven studies validated the KTS for predicting outcomes like mortality and admission.
• Over 80% of validation studies found the KTS performed equally or better than complex scores in predicting mortality.

Conclusions:

• The Kampala Trauma Score (KTS) has proven effective and durable over 20 years in diverse settings.
• The KTS is recommended for enhancing trauma systems in LMICs.
• High-income countries lacking injury severity measurement could also benefit from implementing the KTS.