Background: To explore variability in quality measurement, this study aimed to compare abstraction and definitions of complications reported across trauma registries in Canada.
Methods: A literature search was performed to identify active trauma registries used in Canadian hospitals. Registry characteristics, data abstraction, and reported complications and definitions based on registry data dictionaries were compared.
Results: Nine registries were included, most of which were provincial-level registries (67 %). A total of 53 individual complications were identified. Twenty-one (40 %) were recorded by only one registry each whereas 5 (9 %) were collected by all. Of the 32 complications collected by > 1 registry, 18 (56 %) had different definitions. Of the 18 with different definitions, 12 (67 %), 5 (28 %), and 1 (6 %) had 2, 3, and 4 different definitions across registries, respectively.
Conclusions: Complications reported by trauma registries are variable. Reliable benchmarking is likely challenging, and efforts to standardize complication reporting may be a valuable undertaking.
Keywords: Adverse event; Benchmark; Complication; Injury; Registry; Trauma.
Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.