Suggested citation: New South Wales Institute of Trauma and Injury Management (2012). Trauma Snips: Trauma service statistics -Explanatory notes. Sydney. NSW ITIM © Copyright NSW Institute of Trauma and Injury Management 2012
Trauma Snips Snapshot of moderate to critical injury (ISS>12) Trauma service statistics: Explanatory notes
www.itim.nsw.gov.au IntroductionThe Trauma Snips: Snapshot of serious to critical injury (ISS>12) trauma service statistic reports for adult major, paediatric major and regional trauma services provides aggregated summary statistics for trauma services in each group of trauma services in NSW for the report period. Statistics in these reports are extracted from the NSW Trauma Registry, and are correct at the date of publication. More information is available from the Reports and Data section of the NSW ITIM website (see http://www.itim.nsw.gov.au/wiki/Reports_and_data)
Report criteriaPatient records included in this report must meet the following criteria:
1. Patient must be admitted to a hospital in NSW with a trauma service within 14 days of injury during the report period
2. Patient must have an injury severity score (ISS) >12, indicating moderate to critical injury.
Report dimensions
Peer group (adult major, paediatric major, or regional trauma service)Admitting hospitals are grouped with their peers according to their designation in the NSW Trauma Services Plan (2009). For more information see the NSW trauma system section on the ITIM website (http://www.itim.nsw.gov.au/wiki/NSW_trauma_services).
AdmissionsTotal admissions are a simple count of all patient records which meet the report criteria. As patients may be transferred between hospitals with a trauma service for a higher level of care or specialist services, total admissions may include more than one count of the same injured person.
AssaultsThis primary cause of injury category includes all types of assault including blunt assault, shooting, stabbing and all other assault types coded in the ICD 10 AM X85-Y09 range.
FallsThis primary cause of injury category includes all types of falls coded in the ICD 10 AM W00-W19 range.
Road traumaThis primary cause of injury category includes all types of road trauma and land transport accidents including motor vehicle, motorcycle, pedal cycle, pedestrian accidents and all other accidents coded in the ICD 10 AM V00-Y79 range.
ISS 13, 14The group of patients with injuries in the moderate injury range (ISS 13, 14). See the Injury scoring section on the NSW ITIM website (http://www.itim.nsw.gov.au/wiki/Injury_scoring_section) for more information.
ISS > 15The group of patients with injuries in the serious to critical injury range (ISS > 15). See the Injury scoring section on the NSW ITIM website (http://www.itim.nsw.gov.au/wiki/Injury_scoring_section) for more information.
Patients direct from sceneThis dimension includes patients who arrive at a hospital with a trauma service directly from the scene where their injury occurred. These patients may be delivered to hospital by road or air ambulance services, or by other modes of transport.
Patients transferred inThis dimension includes patients transferred from a hospital to a hospital with a trauma service for definitive care. Patients may be transferred for a higher level of care or specialist service. The transferring hospital need not be a hospital with a trauma service.
Median hospital length of stayThe median length of stay in hospital as an acute care patient in days. Any additional stay in a hospital for rehabilitation or convalescence is not included in this hospital length of stay.
Case fatality rateThe fatality rate for patients whose records are included in this report. This rate is not age standardised.
Prepared by David Martens, NSW Trauma Data Systems Manager