Increasing Access to Casualty Care Data in Low-Resource Conflict Settings: A Practical Toolkit

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Trauma Surgery
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Trauma registries are crucial for reducing combat casualty deaths in high-resource militaries.
• Standardized data collection for casualties in low-resource conflict settings (LRCS) is lacking.
• Existing efforts to implement trauma registries in low-resource countries lack standardization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a standardized, open-access data collection toolkit for casualty care in LRCS.
• To create a harmonized data collection instrument adaptable to varying resource levels.
• To facilitate improved documentation and evidence-based decision-making in LRCS.

Main Methods:

• Developed a casualty data form (CDF) based on prior analysis in Burkina Faso.
• Iteratively refined the CDF through data collection and evaluated it against existing tools (WHO, DoDTR).
• Translated the CDF into electronic formats (Excel, KoboToolbox) for diverse usability.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive toolkit was created, including paper and electronic (Excel, KoboToolbox) versions of the CDF.
• The toolkit captures 29 key variables: demographics, prehospital care, injury details, resource use, surgical interventions, and outcomes.
• The CDF is designed for compatibility with limited connectivity and minimal data infrastructure.

Conclusions:

• An open-access toolkit for casualty care data collection in LRCS is presented.
• Standardized instruments in multiple formats can improve documentation in resource-limited settings.
• Enhanced data collection can support data-driven strategies to reduce mortality and morbidity in LRCS.