A trauma quality improvement programme associated with improved patient outcomes: 21 years of experience at an Australian Major Trauma Centre

Trends in polytrauma incidence among major trauma admissions

PURPOSE

Polytrauma is increasingly recognized as a disease beyond anatomical injuries. Due to population growth, centralization, and slow uptake of preventive measures, major trauma presentations in most trauma systems show a slow but steady increase. The proportional contribution of polytrauma patients to this increase is unknown.

METHODS

A 13-year retrospective analysis ending 31/12/2021 of all major trauma admissions (ISS > 15) to a level-1 trauma center were included. Polytrauma was classified using the Newcastle definition. Linear regression analysis was used to compare the rates of patient presentation over time. Logistic regression was used to measure for change in proportion of polytrauma. Data are presented as median (IQR), with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals as appropriate.

RESULTS

5897 (age: 49 ± 43 years, sex: 71.3% male, ISS: 20 ± 9, mortality: 10.7%) major trauma presentations were included, 1,616 (27%) were polytrauma (age: 45 ± 37 years, 72.0% male, ISS: 29 ± 14, mortality: 12.7%). Major trauma presentations increased significantly over the study period (+ 8 patients per year (3-14), p < 0.01), aged significantly (0.42 years/year (0.25-0.59, p < 0.001). The number of polytrauma presentations per year did not change significantly (+ 1 patients/year (- 1 to 4, p > 0.2). Overall unadjusted mortality did not change (OR 0.99 (0.97-1.02). Polytrauma mortality fell significantly (OR 0.96 (0.92-0.99)) over the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Polytrauma patients represent about 25% of the major trauma admissions, with higher injury severity, static incidence and higher but improving mortality in comparison to all major trauma patients. Separate reporting and focused research on this group are warranted as monitoring the entire major trauma cohort does not identify these specifics of this high acuity subgroup.

Using PROM(I)S to measure health-related quality of life in patients with a bone fracture: An observational cohort study

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of patients with fractures is increasing and so is the impact on health care systems and society. To improve patient care, measurement of disabilities and impaired health experiences after traumatic musculoskeletal injuries are important. Next to objective clinical parameters, PROM(I)S can be used to map health domains important to patients. We aimed to objectify different aspects of (health-related) quality of life in fracture patients, including the ability to participate in social roles and activities using PROMIS among other PROMs.

METHODS

An observational cohort study was performed in which health-related quality of life in fracture patients was measured. Patients aged 18 year and older either treated conservatively or surgically between November 2020 and June 2022 were included. Participants were followed for a maximum of one year and completed the following PROMs: PROMIS-CAT physical function, PROMIS-CAT pain interference, PROMIS-CAT ability to participate in social roles and activities and LEFS or QDASH. We applied a univariate linear mixed model to evaluate significance of improvement.

RESULTS

Seven hundred-forty six patients with a mean age of 54.4 years were included. Mean PROMIS scores were structurally inferior in the lower extremity (LE) fracture group in comparison with the upper extremity (UE) fracture group. For "PROMIS physical function", UE fracture patients performed better and showed physical progression earlier. For "PROMIS pain interference", UE fracture patients experienced fewer limitations, but it took longer to experience improvement in this group. For "PROMIS ability to participate in social roles", significant improvement was only seen in the UE fracture group at one year follow up.

CONCLUSION

Upper -and lower extremity fractures can have a significant impact on physical function and social health. Patients with UE fractures tend to have fewer limitations compared to LE fracture patients. Physical function and pain interference is most impaired shortly after the injury in all fracture patients and show significant changes over time, social health improves less over time. Moment of measurement should be based on type of fracture and can differ between individual patients, but when generic measures and outcomes are desirable, PROMIS questionnaires can potentially be used measurement.

Patterns, mechanism of injury and outcome of pediatric trauma at a level 1 trauma centre: a descriptive retrospective analysis

Background

There is a gap in knowledge on the epidemiology of pediatric trauma in the developing countries. We aimed to describe the injury pattern, mechanism of injury (MOI), and outcomes of pediatric trauma in a level 1 trauma centre in one of the Arab Middle Eastern countries.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of pediatric injury data was conducted. All trauma patients (<18 years old) requiring hospitalization between 2012 and 2021 were included. Patients were categorized and compared based on the MOI, age-group and injury severity.

Results

A 3,058 pediatric patients (20% of the total trauma admissions) were included in the study. The incidence rate in 2020 was 86 cases per 100,000 pediatric population in Qatar. The majority were male (78%) and the mean age was 9.3 ± 5.7 years. Nearly 40% had head injuries. The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.8%. The median injury severity score (ISS) (interquartile range; IQR) was 9 (4-14) and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was 15 (IQR 15-15). Almost 18% required Intensive Care admission. Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) were more frequent in 15-18 years old whereas ≤4 years group was mostly injured by falling objects. The case fatality rate was higher among females (5.0%), and in 15-18 years (4.6%) and <4 years (4.4%) group. Pedestrian injuries were more lethal among the MOI. One fifth had severe injury with a mean age of 11 ± 6 and 9.5% had ISS of ≥25. Predictors of severe injury were age (10 years old and above) and RTI.

Conclusion

Almost one-fifth of the trauma admissions at the level 1 trauma centre in Qatar is due to traumatic injuries among the pediatric population. Developing strategies that are based on understanding the age- and mechanism-specific patterns of traumatic injuries among the pediatric population remains crucial.

The effectiveness of trauma care systems at different stages of development in reducing mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Traumatic injury remains the leading cause of death, with more than five million deaths every year. Little is known about the comparative effectiveness in reducing mortality of trauma care systems at different stages of development. The objective of this study was to review the literature and examine differences in mortality associated with different stages of trauma system development.

METHOD

A systematic review of peer-reviewed population-based studies retrieved from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Additional studies were identified from references of articles, through database searching, and author lists. Articles written in English and published between 2000 and 2020 were included. Selection of studies, data extraction, and quality assessment of the included studies were performed by two independent reviewers. The results were reported as odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

A total of 52 studies with a combined 1,106,431 traumatic injury patients were included for quantitative analysis. The overall mortality rate was 6.77% (n = 74,930). When patients were treated in a non-trauma centre compared to a trauma centre, the pooled statistical odds of mortality were reduced (OR 0.74 [95% CI 0.69-0.79]; p < 0.001). When patients were treated in a non-trauma system compared to a trauma system the odds of mortality rates increased (OR 1.17 [95% CI 1.10-1.24]; p < 0.001). When patients were treated in a post-implementation/initial system compared to a mature system, odds of mortality were significantly higher (OR 1.46 [95% CI 1.37-1.55]; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The present study highlights that the survival of traumatic injured patients varies according to the stage of trauma system development in which the patient was treated. The analysis indicates a significant reduction in mortality following the introduction of the trauma system which is further enhanced as the system matures. These results provide evidence to support efforts to, firstly, implement trauma systems in countries currently without and, secondly, to enhance existing systems by investing in system development.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42019142842 .

Assessing unmet rehabilitation needs and the feasibility of a telehealth rehabilitation consultation service for road trauma survivors recently discharged from hospital

PURPOSE

Persistent activity limitations are common among road trauma survivors, yet access to rehabilitation in hospital and in the community remains variable. This study aimed to identify unmet rehabilitation needs following road trauma and assess the feasibility of a novel rehabilitation consultation service delivered via telehealth following hospitalization.

METHODS

A pilot cohort study was conducted with survivors of road trauma who were hospitalized but did not receive formal inpatient rehabilitation. All participants received a multidisciplinary rehabilitation consultation via telehealth 1-3 weeks post-discharge, to assess rehabilitation needs and initiate treatment referrals as required. Functional and qualitative outcomes were assessed at baseline (1-7 days); one month and three months post-discharge.

RESULTS

38 participants were enrolled. All (100%) reported functional limitations at baseline; 86.5% were found to have unmet rehabilitation needs, and 75.7% were recommended rehabilitation interventions. Functional ability improved over time, but more than half the cohort continued to report activity limitations (67.6%), pain (64.7%) and/or altered mood (41.2%) for up to three months. Participants found the telehealth service to be acceptable, convenient, and helpful for recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

A high proportion of mild-moderate trauma survivors report unmet rehabilitation needs following hospital discharge. Telehealth appears to be a feasible, convenient and acceptable mode of assessing these needs.Implications for rehabilitationSurvivors of road-related injuries often experience ongoing impairments and activity limitations.Among those who don't receive rehabilitation in hospital, we found a high proportion (86.5%) had unmet rehabilitation needs after discharge.A telehealth rehabilitation service was feasible to deliver and could successfully identify unmet rehabilitation needs.The piloted telehealth intervention was viewed as acceptable, convenient and beneficial by patients.

Conceptualizing the key components of rehabilitation following major musculoskeletal trauma: A mixed methods service evaluation

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES

The reorganization of acute major trauma pathways in England has increased survival following traumatic injury, resulting in an increased patient population with diverse and complex needs requiring specialist rehabilitation. However, national audit data indicate that only 5% of patients with traumatic injuries have access to specialist rehabilitation, and there are limited guidelines or standards to inform the delivery of rehabilitation interventions for individuals following major trauma. This group concept mapping project aimed to identify the clinical service needs of individuals accessing our major trauma rehabilitation service, prioritize these needs, determine whether each of these needs is currently being met, and plan targeted service enhancements.

METHODS

Participants contributed towards a statement generation exercise to identify the key components of rehabilitation following major trauma, and individually sorted these statements into themes. Each statement was rated based on importance and current success. Multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to the sorted data to produce themed clusters of ideas within concept maps. Priority values were applied to these maps to identify key areas for targeted service enhancement.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight patients and health care professionals participated in the ideas generation activity, 34 in the sorting, and 49 in the rating activity. A 7-item cluster map was agreed upon, containing the following named clusters: Communication and Coordination; Emotional and psychological wellbeing; Rehabilitation environment; Early rehabilitation; Structured therapy input; Planning for home; and Long-term support. Areas for targeted service enhancement included access to timely and adequate information provision, collaborative goal setting, and specialist pain management across the rehabilitation pathway.

CONCLUSION

The conceptual framework presented in this article illustrates the importance of a continuum of rehabilitation provision across the injury trajectory, and provides a platform to track future service changes and facilitate the codesign of new rehabilitation interventions for individuals following major trauma.

Trauma care before and after optimisation in a level I trauma Centre: Life-saving changes

BACKGROUND

The implementation of trauma systems has led to a significant reduction in mortality and length of hospital stay. In our level I trauma centre, 24/7 in-hospital coverage was implemented, and a renovation of the trauma room took place to improve the trauma care. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the optimised in-hospital infrastructure in terms of mortality, processes and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data. All adult trauma patients admitted to our trauma centre directly during two time periods (2010-2012 and 2014-2016) were included. Any patients below the age of 18 years and patients who underwent primary trauma screening in another hospital were excluded. Logistic and linear regression were used and adjusted for demographics and characteristics of trauma. The primary endpoint was mortality. The secondary endpoints were subgroups of earlier mortality rates and severely injured patients, processes and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

In period I, 1290 patients were included, and in period II, 2421. The adjusted mortality in the trauma room (odds ratio (OR): 0.18; CI: 0.05-0.63) and the total in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.63 CI: 0.42-0.95) showed a significant reduction in period II. The trauma room (TR) time decreased by 30 min (p < 0.001), and the time until CT decreased by 22 min (p < 0.001). The number of delayed diagnoses and complications were significantly lower in the second period, with an OR of 0.2 (CI: 0.1-0.2) and 0.4 (CI: 0.3-0.6), respectively. The hospital length of stay and ICU length of stay decreased significantly, -1.5 day (p = 0.010) and -1.8 days (p = 0.022) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimisation of the in-hospital infrastructure related to trauma care resulted in improved survival rates in both severely injured patients as well as in the whole trauma population. Moreover, the processes and clinical outcomes improved, showing a shorter hospital length of stay, shorter TR time, fewer complications and fewer delayed diagnoses.

Effects of a trauma center on early mortality after trauma in a regional city in Japan: a population-based study

Background

Although the effects of the trauma center(TC) were researched in several studies, there have been few studies on changes in the regional mortality due to the implementation of a TC. An emergency medical center (EMC) and TC were implemented at Nagasaki University Hospital (NUH) for the first time in the Nagasaki medical region of Japan in April 2010 and October 2011, respectively, and they have cooperated with each other in treating trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on the early mortality at population level of a TC working in cooperation with an EMC.

Methods

This is a retrospective study using standardized regional data (ambulance service record) in Nagasaki medical region from April 2007 through March 2017. We included 19,045 trauma patients directly transported from the scene. The outcome measures were prognosis for one week. To examine the association between the implementation of the EMC and TC and mortality at a region, we fit adjusted logistic regression models.

Results

The number of patients of each fiscal year increased from 1492 in 2007 to 2101 in 2016. The number of all patients transported to NUH decreased until 2009 to 70, but increased after implementation of the EMC and TC. Overall mortality of all patients in the region improved from 2.3% in 2007 to 1.0% in 2016. In multivariate logistic regression model, odds ratio of death was significantly smaller at 2013 and thereafter if the data from 2007 to 2011 was taken as reference.

Conclusions

Implementation of the EMC and TC was associated with early mortality in trauma patients directly transported from the scene by ambulance. Our analysis suggested that the implementation of EMC and TC contributed to the improvement of the early mortality at a regional city with 500000 populations.

Level of evidence

Level III.

Identifying areas for improvement in paediatric trauma care in NSW Australia using a clinical, system and human factors peer-review tool

BACKGROUND

There is known variability in the quality of care delivered to injured children. Identifying where care improvement can be made is critical. This study aimed to review paediatric trauma cases across the most populous Australian State to identify factors contributing to clinical incidents.

METHODS

Medical records from three New South Wales Paediatric Trauma Centres were reviewed for children <16 years requiring intensive care; with an injury severity score of ≥9, or who died following injury between July 2015 and September 2016. Records were peer-reviewed by nurse surveyors who identified cases that might not meet the expected standard of care or where the child died following the injury. A multidisciplinary panel conducted the peer-review using a major trauma peer-review tool. Records were reviewed independently, then discussed to establish consensus.

RESULTS

A total 535 records were reviewed and 41 cases were peer-reviewed. The median (IQR) age was 7 (2-12) years, the median ISS was 25 (IQR 16-30). The peer-review identified a combination of clinical (85%), systems (51%) and communication (12%) problems that contributed to difficulties in care delivery. In 85% of records, staff actions were identified to contribute to events; with medical task failure the most frequently identified cause (89%).

CONCLUSION

The peer-review of paediatric trauma cases assisted in the identification of contributing factors to clinical incidents in trauma care resulting in 26 recommendations for change. The prioritisation and implementation of these recommendations, alongside a uniform State-wide trauma case review process with consistent criteria (definitions), performance indicators, monitoring and reporting would facilitate improvement in health service delivery to children sustaining severe injury.

Brain injury rehabilitation after road trauma in new South Wales, Australia - insights from a data linkage study

Background

Population-based patterns of care studies are important for trauma care but conducting them is expensive and resource-intensive. Linkage of routinely collected administrative health data may provide an efficient alternative. The aims of this study are to describe the rehabilitation pathway for trauma survivors and to analyse the brain injury rehabilitation outcomes in the two care settings (specialist brain injury and non-specialist general rehabilitation units).

Methods

This is an observational study using routinely collected registry data (New South Wales Trauma Registry linked with the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre Inpatient Dataset). The study cohort includes 268 road trauma patients who were admitted to trauma services between 2009 and 2012 and received inpatient rehabilitation because of a brain injury.

Results

Of those who need inpatient rehabilitation, 62% (n = 166) were admitted to specialist units with the remainder (n = 102) admitted to non-specialist units. Those admitted to a specialist units were younger (p < 0.001), had a lower cognitive FIM score (p = 0.003) on admission than those admitted to non-specialist units. Specialist units achieved better overall FIM score improvements from admission to discharge (43 vs 30 points, p > 0.001) but at a cost of longer length of stay (median 47 vs 24 days, p < 0.001). There were very few discharges to residential aged care facilities from rehabilitation (2% in non-specialist units and none from specialist units). There was a long time lag between trauma and admission to inpatient rehabilitation with only a quarter of the patients admitted to a specialist unit by end of week four. Few older patients (19%) with brain injury were admitted to specialist units.

Conclusions

It is feasible to use routinely collected registry data to monitor inpatient rehabilitation outcomes of trauma care. There were differences in characteristics and outcomes of patients with traumatic brain injury admitted to specialist units compared with non-specialist units.

Evaluating the need to reform the organisation of care for major trauma patients in Belgium: an analysis of administrative databases

PURPOSE

In light of the international evolutions to establish inclusive trauma systems and to concentrate the care for the most severely injured in major trauma centres, we evaluated the degree of dispersion of trauma care in Belgium.

METHODS

We used descriptive statistics to illustrate the dispersion of major trauma care in Belgium based on two independent administrative databases: the registry of Mobile Intensive Care Units (2009-2015) and the Belgian Hospital Discharge Dataset (2009-2014).

RESULTS

Patients with a severe trauma (n = 3856 in 2015) were transported towards 145 different hospital sites (on a total of 198 hospital sites) resulting in a median of 17 cases per hospital site (min = 1; P25 = 4; P75 = 30; max = 165). A minority of major trauma patients is after admission transferred to another hospital (8%) with a median of 10 days after admission to the hospital (IQR 3.5-24).

CONCLUSIONS

The dispersion of care for major trauma patients in Belgium is so high that a reorganisation of care for severe injured patients in major trauma centres concentrating professional expertise and specialised equipment is recommended to guarantee a high quality of care in a qualitative and sustainable way.

Using emergency trauma team activations to measure trauma activity and injury severity: 10 years of experience using an Australian major trauma centre registry

OBJECTIVES

To describe the outcomes of Emergency Department trauma team activations over a 10-year period with respect to injury severity and hospital length of stay.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study using trauma registry data at a single Major Trauma Centre in Australia. All trauma team activations and arrivals on pre-hospital major trauma (T1) protocol recorded in the trauma registry between June 2006 and July 2016 were included. The outcome of interest was major trauma, defined as an Injury Severity Score (ISS) >12 or length of stay >3 days or requiring urgent operative intervention or admission to the Intensive Care Unit following trauma.

RESULTS

A total of 9876 hospital trauma activations were analysed from January 2006 to June 2016. Of these 53.3% were admitted as an in-patient and 16.6% were classified as having an ISS >15. Major trauma occurred in 38% of cases. With respect to hospital utilisation, patients with an ISS <16 accounted for around half of total cumulative in-patient bed-days.

CONCLUSIONS

Analysis of data from trauma team activations in ED has allowed a description of trauma activity and hospital bed day utilisation as a function of injury severity. The results confirm that those with minor trauma accounted for the vast majority of cases and around half of all hospital in-patient bed-days.

Mobile health technology transforms injury severity scoring in South Africa

BACKGROUND

The burden of data collection associated with injury severity scoring has limited its application in areas of the world with the highest incidence of trauma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Since January 2014, electronic records (electronic Trauma Health Records [eTHRs]) replaced all handwritten records at the Groote Schuur Hospital Trauma Unit in South Africa. Data fields required for Glasgow Coma Scale, Revised Trauma Score, Kampala Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Trauma Score-Injury Severity Score calculations are now prospectively collected. Fifteen months after implementation of eTHR, the injury severity scores were compared as predictors of mortality on three accounts: (1) ability to discriminate (area under receiver operating curve, ROC); (2) ability to calibrate (observed versus expected ratio, O/E); and (3) feasibility of data collection (rate of missing data).

RESULTS

A total of 7460 admissions were recorded by eTHR from April 1, 2014 to July 7, 2015, including 770 severely injured patients (ISS > 15) and 950 operations. The mean age was 33.3 y (range 13-94), 77.6% were male, and the mechanism of injury was penetrating in 39.3% of cases. The cohort experienced a mortality rate of 2.5%. Patient reserve predictors required by the scores were 98.7% complete, physiological injury predictors were 95.1% complete, and anatomic injury predictors were 86.9% complete. The discrimination and calibration of Trauma Score-Injury Severity Score was superior for all admissions (ROC 0.9591 and O/E 1.01) and operatively managed patients (ROC 0.8427 and O/E 0.79). In the severely injured cohort, the discriminatory ability of Revised Trauma Score was superior (ROC 0.8315), but no score provided adequate calibration.

CONCLUSIONS

Emerging mobile health technology enables reliable and sustainable injury severity scoring in a high-volume trauma center in South Africa.

Incremental cost-effectiveness of trauma service improvements for road trauma casualties: experience of an Australian major trauma centre

Objective The aim of the present study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of trauma service funding enhancements at an inner city major trauma centre. Methods The present study was a cost-effectiveness analysis using retrospective trauma registry data of all major trauma patients (injury severity score >15) presenting after road trauma between 2001 and 2012. The primary outcome was cost per life year gained associated with the intervention period (2007-12) compared with the pre-intervention period (2001-06). Incremental costs were represented by all trauma-related funding enhancements undertaken between 2007 and 2010. Risk adjustment for years of life lost was conducted using zero-inflated negative binomial regression modelling. All costs were expressed in 2012 Australian dollar values. Results In all, 876 patients were identified during the study period. The incremental cost of trauma enhancements between 2007 and 2012 totalled $7.91million, of which $2.86million (36%) was attributable to road trauma patients. After adjustment for important covariates, the odds of in-hospital mortality reduced by around half (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27, 0.82; P=0.01). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was A$7600 per life year gained (95% CI A$5524, $19333). Conclusion Trauma service funding enhancements that enabled a quality improvement program at a single major trauma centre were found to be cost-effective based on current international and Australian standards. What is known about this topic? Trauma quality improvement programs have been implemented across most designated trauma hospitals in an effort to improve hospital care processes and outcomes for injured patients. These involve a combination of education and training, the use of audit and key performance indicators. What does this paper add? A trauma quality improvement program initiated at an Australian Major Trauma Centre was found to be cost-effective over 12 years with respect to years of life saved in road trauma patients. What are the implications for practitioners? The results suggest that adequate resourcing of trauma centres to enable quality improvement programs may be a cost-effective measure to reduce in-hospital mortality following road trauma.

Quality of life after mild to moderate trauma

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate potential reduction in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after a mild to moderate trauma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Follow-up study of a cohort of 153 trauma patients admitted to the High Dependency Unit of the Emergency Department of the University-Hospital of Florence from July 2008 to February 2012. After 6 months from the event, a telephone interview using the Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Health Composite Score (SF12) was conducted. Patients reported their HRQOL both at present and before trauma. Scores ≥ 50 represent no disability; 40-49, mild disability; 30-39, moderate disability; and below 30, severe disability.

RESULTS

Before the event 143 (93%) subjects reported a normal PCS and MCS. After the events, a significantly lower proportion of patients maintained a normal PCS and MCS values (52 and 68%, all p<0.01). One, two, three and four PCS items worsened in 14%, 15%, 18% and 38% of the study population, while one, two, three or four MCS dimensions worsened in 12%, 19%, 19% and 24%. We identified 109 subjects (N+), which showed normal PCS and MCS values before trauma, in the absence of any pre-existing medical condition. After the event, we observed a significant PCS (before: 54, standard deviation, SD 6; after 43, SD 11, p<0.0001) and MCS (before: 55, SD 7; after 47, SD 11, p<0.0001) worsening among N+ subjects. Distribution across the four disability categories was 52, 24, 17 and 6% for MCS score and 38, 25, 27 and 11% for PCS score: overall 8 (7%) patients reported a moderate disability and 5 (5%) reported a severe disability in both dimensions. Compared with subjects with preserved values, patients with an abnormal (<39) HRQOL were older, showed a higher prevalence of female gender and pre-existing medical conditions and a worst Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. An advanced age (OR 1.033, 95% CI 1.010-1.057, p=0.005) and a higher SOFA T1 score (OR 1.500, 95% CI 1.027-2.190, p=0.036) were independently associated with a worsening PCS.

CONCLUSIONS

After a mild trauma, we evidenced a relevant reduction in HRQOL; an advanced age and a higher degree of organ dysfunction were independently associated with HRQOL deterioration.