[Patient specific documentation of complications in trauma surgery. Concept, problems and results]

Quality management requires correct and comprehensive monitoring of all complications. Since January 1995 in the department of trauma and orthopaedic surgery complications have been recorded immediately when the patient is scheduled for reoperation or when complications become evident during the X-ray conference or at follow-up clinics. Two senior surgeons note all available information on a sheet of paper. Data are completed as soon as possible and entered into a PC data base. All cases are followed up by the respective surgeon and discussed at monthly complication conferences. A case is not closed until the end result has been documented. We discuss the theoretical and practical problems of this procedure and present the statistical evaluation for 1995.