In a road crash, about 50% of mortality could occur in the first 10 minutes of injury, especially to the head, spinal cord, cardiac ruptures, or any damage to the major blood vessels or airway obstruction. Immediate medical intervention within platinum 10 minutes and definitive treatment within the golden hour can greatly influence the injured victim’s chances of survival and recovery.
Towards this goal, the Government of India has planned to identify the upgradation needs of trauma centres and clinics in the vicinity of High Frequency Accident Zones (HFAZ). Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) at IIT Madras has developed a baseline checklist to map the status of trauma centres, evaluate their preparedness and identify upgradation needs.
Trauma care is pivotal in saving lives and mitigating the long-term impact of injuries. To optimise trauma care systems, it is imperative to conduct baseline surveys that delve into the intricacies of various components.
Data is a key resource to identify the gaps in the current system and identify actionable points and key performance indicators for strengthening trauma response in a State. Baseline survey provides evidence on the current status of trauma centres, helps identify the gaps, and plan interventions to improve.
Capacity and capability building will have to be based on lean principles to bring about savings in costs and quality of service delivery. This shall include proper design, continuous training of stakeholders, robust and simplified tools to track performances and audits to understand the deficiencies. The effectiveness of this approach is possible
only by collecting and analysis of performance data from the trauma and emergency care centre on a daily basis.
Application of Baseline Survey to Identify the Gaps in Trauma Care
Baseline survey is developed as a mobile application to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of data collection, analysis, and reporting at the field level. Trauma centers play a crucial role in emergency medical care, and obtaining comprehensive information about their capabilities, resources, and procedures is essential for effective healthcare planning and response. The utilisation of a dedicated mobile app streamlines the survey process, offering numerous advantages over traditional paper-based methods.
