Utah Trauma Registry - www.utahtrauma.org
Utah Trauma Registry - www.utahtrauma.org
Traumatic injury, both accidental and intentional, is the leading cause of death in the first four decades of life, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Trauma typically involves young adults and results in the loss of more productive work years than both cancer and heart disease combined. Each year, more than 161,000 Americans die and approximately 80,000 are permanently disabled as a result of injury. The loss of productivity and health care costs account for 100 billion dollars annually.
Each year, more than 161,000 Americans die and approximately 80,000 are permanently disabled as a result of injury. Research provides evidence of the effectiveness of trauma and emergency medical services (EMS) systems in reducing mortality, morbidity, and lost productivity from traumatic injuries. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies of conventional trauma care show that as many as 35% of trauma patient deaths could have been prevented if optimal acute care had been available.
Given that death and disability from traumatic injuries are highly preventable, the Utah Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assembled a Trauma System Task Force in 1993 to assist in the development of a Utah Trauma System Plan. The Task Force modeled the plan after the National Model Trauma Plan which provides a basic framework and defines essential system components. Consequently, the Utah Trauma Registry was formed, and data collection has been in progress since January 1, 2001 from 41 participating acute care hospitals in Utah.
Intermountain Injury Control Research Center The Intermountain Injury Control Research Center (IICRC) at the University of Utah has been contracted to act as the central data repository to receive trauma-related data. Our role under this contract is to compile and analyze data so that we may provide comprehensive data to the state and hospitals and conduct trauma-related research. The data collecting system will provide a foundation for data-driven prevention activities and system quality improvement.
rev. 03/20/2009
