Trauma registries. Current status and future prospects
D. A. Pollock and P. W. McClain
Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga 30333.
Hospital trauma registries are evolving rapidly as a result of a renewed
focus on trauma care evaluation and recent advances in microcomputer
technology. In theory, trauma registries can serve as the principal tool
for the systematic audit of the quality of patient care provided by a
hospital or a trauma system and as a potential source of part of the data
needed for injury surveillance. In practice, however, there is a tendency
to underestimate the resources needed to initiate and maintain a registry.
Herein, we describe the purposes, resource requirements, and limitations of
trauma registries. We conclude that standardization of case criteria, core
data content, data definitions, and coding conventions can enhance the
utility of trauma registries.
