Assessing Care of Patients with Major Traumatic Injuries

Each year, injuries affect 700 million people around the world including 30 million North Americans and 2 million Canadians. In Canada, injuries are the leading cause of death among those under the age of 45 years and account for more premature deaths than heart disease, lung disease or HIV infection. In 2003, 13,906 Canadians died as a result of injury; 1 death every 38 minutes. However, deaths are only the tip of the injury iceberg. The human and societal burden is even greater with many survivors never returning to school, work or their "regular" lives. Any Canadian can suffer an injury on any given day. However, the risk of dying from injury varies amongst developed countries, provinces and Canadians of different background. The underlying causes for these variations are unknown and remarkably little is known about access to care for patients with major injuries, the quality of care provided and the impact on patient outcomes. We propose to begin a major work of research to measure and improve the quality of trauma care delivered in Canada. First, we plan to survey national and international organizations with expertise in trauma care to determine how they measure the quality of trauma care and incorporate this information into performance improvement initiatives. Next, a sample of Canadian trauma care experts will review the information we have collected and select the best tools for measuring the quality of trauma care. Finally, we will test these tools in a group of injured Canadians to confirm that they are accurate and valid in measuring the quality of trauma care that patients receive. This proposal is essential to improving outcomes for patients who suffer major traumatic injuries. Health care providers, patients, researchers, funders and policy makers will be informed and enabled to improve patient outcomes following trauma.