World journal of surgery
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Trauma-care systems in India are at a nascent stage of development. Industrialized cities, rural towns, and villages coexist with a variety of health care facilities and an almost complete lack of organized trauma care. There is gross disparity between trauma services available in various parts of the country. ⋯ A nationwide survey encompassing various facilities has documented significant deficiencies in current trauma systems. Some initiatives on improving prehospital systems have been seen recently. Although injury is a major public-health problem, the government, medical fraternity, and the society are yet to recognize it as a significant public health challenge.
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Key performance indicators (KPI) are tools for assessing process and outcome in systems of health care provision and are an essential component in performance improvement. Although KPI have been used in British military trauma for 10 years, they remain poorly defined and are derived from civilian metrics that do not adjust for the realities of field trauma care. Our aim was to modify current trauma KPI to ensure they more faithfully reflect both the military setting and contemporary evidence in order to both aid accurate calibration of the performance of the British Defence Medical Services and act as a driver for performance improvement. ⋯ The introduction of these KPI sets a number of important benchmarks by which British military trauma can be measured. As part of a performance improvement programme, these will allow closer monitoring of our performance and assist efforts to develop, train, and resource British military trauma providers.
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World journal of surgery · Aug 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyThe appendicitis inflammatory response score: a tool for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis that outperforms the Alvarado score.
The clinical diagnosis of appendicitis is a subjective synthesis of information from variables with ill-defined diagnostic value. This process could be improved by using a scoring system that includes objective variables that reflect the inflammatory response. This study describes the construction and evaluation of a new clinical appendicitis score. ⋯ This simple clinical score can correctly classify the majority of patients with suspected appendicitis, leaving the need for diagnostic imaging or diagnostic laparoscopy to the smaller group of patients with an indeterminate scoring result.
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World journal of surgery · Aug 2008
Multicenter StudyAcute management of hemodynamically unstable pelvic trauma patients: time for a change? Multicenter review of recent practice.
Hemorrhage-related mortality (HRM) associated with pelvic fractures continues to challenge trauma care. This study describes the management and outcome of hemodynamically unstable patients with a pelvic fracture, with emphasis on primary intervention for hemorrhage control and HRM. ⋯ HRM associated with major pelvic trauma is unacceptably high especially in the laparotomy group. Hence, nontherapeutic laparotomy must be avoided, concentrating instead on arresting pelvic hemorrhage. Standards of care must be implemented and abided by.
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World journal of surgery · Aug 2008
What World Health Assembly Resolution 60.22 means to those who care for the injured.
On May 23, 2007, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted WHA Resolution 60.22, "Health Systems: Emergency Care Systems," which called on the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments to adopt a variety of measures to strengthen trauma and emergency care services worldwide. This resolution constituted some of the highest level attention ever devoted to trauma care worldwide. This article reviews the background of this resolution and discusses how it can be of use to surgeons, emergency physicians, and others who care for the injured, especially in low- and middle-income countries.