The trauma score: A simple method to evaluate quality of care

In recent years, trauma care delivery has come under close scrutiny from within and outside the medical profession. With the development and designation of trauma centers, two problems have become evident. First is a reliable, simple means of triaging patients to the appropriate facility. The second problem is evaluation of the quality of care provided. The assessment of results is difficult due to the large number of variables, such as mechanisms of injury, anatomic sites of injury, and comorbidity found in these patients and has led to the use of complex statistical analysis. The trauma score, originally developed as a triage tool, has also proven to be a reliable, simple means of assessing th quality of care. The expected survival for each trauma score value has been established and each hospital's or surgeon's results can, therefore, be evaluated against that standard. A deviation from the expected survival curve may or may not be clinically significant as determined by careful review of those patients. From July 1, 1985 through June 30, 1986, 495 patients were admitted to the trauma service at the Medical College of Georgia. All patients were given a trauma score on arrival to the emergency department. The trauma score can be used as a quality assurance tool by any physician or hospital providing trauma services as will be demonstrated by analyzing our data.