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Background: We sought to assess the availability of technology-related equipment for trauma care in Nepal and to identify factors leading to optimal availability as well as deficiencies. We also sought to identify potential solutions addressing the deficits in terms of health systems management and product development., Methods: Thirty-two items for large hospitals and sixteen items for small hospitals related to the technological aspect of trauma care were selected from the World Health Organization's Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care for the current study. Fifty-six small and 29 large hospitals were assessed for availability of these items in the study area. Site visits included direct inspection and interviews with administrative, clinical, and bioengineering staff., Results: Deficiencies of many specific items were noted, including many that were inexpensive and which could have been easily supplied. Shortage of electricity was identified as a major infrastructural deficiency present in all parts of the country. Deficiencies of pulse oximetry and ventilators were observed in most hospitals, attributed in most part to frequent breakdowns and long downtimes because of lack of vendor-based service contracts or in-house maintenance staff. Sub-optimal oxygen supply was identified as a major and frequent deficiency contributing to disruption of services. All equipment was imported except for a small percent of suction machines and haemoglobinometers., Conclusions: The study identified a range of items which were deficient and whose availability could be improved cost-effectively and sustainably by better planning and organisation. The electricity deficit has been dealt with successfully in a few hospitals via direct feeder lines and installation of solar panels; wider implementation of these methods would help solve a large portion of the technological deficiencies. From a health systems management view-point, strengthening procurement and stocking of low cost items especially in remote parts of the country is needed. From a product development view-point, there is a need for robust pulse-oximeters and ventilators that are lower cost and which have longer durability and less need for repairs. Increasing capabilities for local manufacture is another potential method to increase availability of a range of equipment and spare parts., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The burden of injury is greatest in developing countries. Trauma systems have reduced mortality in developed countries and trauma registries are known to be integral to monitoring and improving trauma care. There are relatively few trauma registries in developing countries and no reviews describing the experience of each registry. The aim of this study was to examine the collective published experience of trauma registries in developing countries., Methods: A structured review of the literature was performed. Relevant abstracts were identified by searching databases for all articles regarding a trauma registry in a developing country. A tool was used to abstract trauma registry details, including processes of data collection and analysis., Results: There were 84 articles, 76 of which were sourced from 47 registries. The remaining eight articles were perspectives. Most were from Iran, followed by China, Jamaica, South Africa and Uganda. Only two registries used the Injury Severity Score (ISS) to define inclusion criteria. Most registries collected data on variables from all five variable groups (demographics, injury event, process of care, injury severity and outcome). Several registries collected data for less than a total of 20 variables. Only three registries measured disability using a score. The most commonly used scores of injury severity were the ISS, followed by Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) and the Kampala Trauma Score (KTS)., Conclusion: Amongst the small number of trauma registries in developing countries, there is a large variation in processes. The implementation of trauma systems with trauma registries is feasible in under-resourced environments where they are desperately needed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The burden of injury is very high in developing countries. Trauma systems reduce mortality; the trauma registry is a key driver of improvements in trauma care. Developing countries have begun to develop trauma systems but the level of local trauma registry activity is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine a global estimate of trauma registry activity., Methods: A structured review of the literature was performed. All abstracts referring to a trauma registry over a two-year period were included. For the trauma registry described in each abstract, the source country was recorded. An additional search of web pages posted over a one year period was conducted. Those linked to an active trauma registry website were included and the country of the trauma registry was recorded. A selection of trauma registries from countries of different levels of development were identified and compared., Results: 571 abstracts were included in the review. Most articles utilised "general" trauma registries (436(76%)) and were based at a single hospital (279(49%)). Other registries were limited to military or paediatric populations (36(6%) and 35(6%) articles respectively). Most articles sourced registries from the US (288(50%)), followed by Australia (45(8%)), Germany (32(6%)), Canada (27(5%)), UK (13(2%)), China (13(2%)) and Israel (12(2%)). The Americas produced most trauma registry articles and South East Asia the least. The majority of trauma registry articles originated from very highly developed countries 467(82%). Least developed countries had the fewest (5(1%)). The additional search yielded 37 web pages linked to 27 different trauma registry websites. Most of these were based in the US (16(59%)). The basic features of trauma registries, such as inclusion criteria, number and type of variables and injury severity scoring, varied widely depending on the country's level of development., Conclusion: This review, using a combination of the number of trauma registry articles and web pages to locate active trauma registries, demonstrated the disparity in trauma registry activity between the most and least developed countries. The absence of trauma care information systems remains a challenge to trauma system development globally., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Injury has become a major cause of death and disability world-wide. Systematic approaches to its prevention and treatment are needed. In terms of treatment, there are many low-cost improvements that could be made particularly in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen their trauma systems. These can be formalised under "Essential Trauma Care" programme, similar to other global programmes for major public health problems. World Health Organisation (WHO), leading the initiative in this direction, convened a meeting at Geneva in June 2002, involving Injuries and Violence Prevention Department of the WHO, the Working Group for Essential Trauma Care of the International Association for Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care (IATSIC), representatives of other organisations and trauma care clinicians representing Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The meeting developed a preliminary list of Essential Trauma Care services and a model template for the skills and equipment needed to assure them. It is intended to be used to assist individual countries in planning their own trauma care services.