JH-IIRU Contributes to Paper on Trauma Registry Development Implementation in Karachi, Pakistan

While nearly 90% of all worldwide trauma and injury-related deaths and disabilities occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), information about the process and quality of trauma care is lacking, even though a significant number of these deaths could be averted through improvement in trauma care in these countries.

Trauma registries—databases used to monitor and enhance the quality of trauma care—are well-established in many high income countries (HICs), yet in many LMICs they are underdeveloped and incomplete.

Recently, JH-IIRU and colleagues from Aga Khan University published a paper on the development and pilot implementation of a trauma registry in Karachi, Pakistan. The paper examined the structure, process of development and pilot implementation of a locally-developed, electronic registry, The Karachi Trauma Registry (KITR). The paper also described lessons learnt during the implementation.

KITR is the first electronic trauma registry in Pakistan developed with local resources. This registry was able to generate surveillance data such as mechanism of injuries, burden of severe injuries and quality indicators such as length of stay in ED, injury to arrival delay, injury severity and survival probability. This registry is important because TRs have historically been used to promote injury prevention, change policies and evaluate trauma system effectiveness.

“Development and Pilot Implementation of a Locally Developed Trauma Registry: Lessons Learnt in a Low-Income Country,” appears in BMC Emergency Medicine. To read more, click here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23517344