Targeted Review and Amalgamation of Unmapped Major Trauma and Ambulance Data in Ireland: TRAUMA Study

Abstract

Introduction:

The trauma care system in Ireland is being re-configured to have major trauma centers for severe injuries and other sites for less severe injuries. This is to ensure patients are brought quickly to the most appropriate hospital to manage their injuries. The National Ambulance Service (NAS) electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR) records what happens to patients before they reach the hospital and the Major Trauma Audit (MTA) captures data on patients’ hospital treatment. These datasets are currently separate and if they could be joined, they would inform important decisions on which hospitals to take patients. This study aims to investigate joining these datasets to create a seamless database of the patient journey from roadside to recovery.

Method:

Proof of Concept–The ePCR and MTA datasets will be linked on a once-off basis. The combined anonymized dataset will then be analyzed to identify pre-hospital characteristics that determine the need to bypass smaller hospitals and bring patients to a larger major trauma center or trauma unit.

Stakeholder input for ongoing dataset combination and utilization–A stakeholder consultation process will explore the best way to make a GDPR-compliant combination of datasets on an on-going basis, including geo-location data and the inclusion of patient reported outcome measures. This will incorporate the requirements of the Data Protection Commissioner, National Office of Clinical Audit, patients, clinicians, NAS, HSE and other stakeholders.

Geospatial implications of major trauma services–Once ongoing data combination is approved, we will determine geospatial implications of the trauma network for prehospital care configuration and the patient journey.

Results:

Study results will inform prehospital service configuration to ensure safe and equitable patient management.

Conclusion:

The data arising from this study will capture the full trauma patient journey. This data is essential to inform policy and practice for trauma care in Ireland.