Preliminary data from a <i>de novo</i> trauma registry

Abstract

Background: Trauma remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Trauma registries are a key component of trauma systems in developed countries which have promoted improvement of patient care and outcomes. The experience with trauma registries in low income countries is limited. The current study shares preliminary data from the Kenyatta National Hospital Trauma Registry whilst documenting the process of design to implementation.

Methods: A de novo registry dataset was designed based on previous studies and programmed as a custom application for deployment to the site. Scope of data collected was demographic, details of injury, pre-hospital events, hospital care and outcomes. Data were summarized as percentages and means for analysis.

Results: The development of the registry from concept to operational software took 12 months. Preliminary data revealed an average completion rate of 88.6%. Majority of patients were young males who were referred to the hospital. Accidental injury at home or on the roads was the most common cause of admission with majority of patients not receiving any pre-hospital care. Sixteen percent of patients died while admitted.

Conclusion: The data obtained from this de novo registry largely aligns to previous institutional reports while revealing data points for increased focus during training for registry abstraction. This experience may form the platform for trauma quality improvement initiatives at the institution as well as scaling to other institutions to allow for collation of regional trauma data.

Keywords: Trauma; Registry; LMIC; Kenya