Current projects
NSW ITIM conducts a number of projects to address issues identified by our trauma community and other stakeholders. Below is an outline of our current projects.
NSW Trauma Services Model of Care
The document, titled Improving the Quality of Trauma Care in NSW: Trauma Services Model of Care outlines role delineation, performance indicators and appropriate resources within regional and major trauma services.
The driver for this initiative has been unwarranted clinical variation with respect to risk adjusted mortality, rates of serious clinical incidents and root cause analyses across the NSW Trauma System. In addition, there has been uncertainty within individual trauma services regarding appropriate models of care and the role of external benchmarking through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Implementation of the Trauma Services Model of Care into the Local Health Districts involves a number of phases:
- Dissemination and communication of the model of care
- Trauma services conducting a self-assessment using the Trauma Capability Framework Assessment Tool
- External trauma verification of NSW trauma networks
- Evaluation
Current status: Implementation phase 3 - external trauma verification
NSW Trauma Outcomes Registry and Quality Evaluation (TORQUE)
The NSW Trauma Outcomes Registry and Quality Evaluation (TORQUE) database aims to implement a secure statewide trauma treatment and clinical quality outcomes registry to support trauma services and monitor quality of trauma care in NSW. The registry will provide valuable information regarding outcomes and quality of care delivered to severely-injured patients, their health and wellbeing in the community after discharge from hospital. The overriding aim is to provide data that will enable targeted quality improvement interventions within the trauma system to reduce the heavy burden of severe injury in NSW.
TORQUE consists of two main components:
- A redesign of the current NSW Trauma Registry including linkage to the eMR.
- A new Trauma Patient Reported Measures (PRM) program to be linked to the NSW Trauma Registry.
Current status: Pilot of the Trauma PRM program, business case development for new trauma registry.
NSW major trauma death review and monitoring program
This program, a major initiative of ITIM and the Clinical Review Committee, consists of a process to standardise trauma death reviews at a state level. It will link numerous data sources in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of trauma patients and identify any statewide issues.
Current status: Commenced used of standardised trauma death review form in Jan 2021. Undertaking evaluation of 12 months of data.
NSW Trauma App
ITIM has developed a clinical support tool, known as NSW Trauma App. The app provides a 'one stop' resource to assist clinicians in caring for traumatically-injured patients, from initial resuscitation, to stabilisation and transfer to a regional or major trauma service. The aim is to reduce unwarranted clinical variation by providing up-to-date, evidence-based information to deliver optimal care to trauma patients.
Current status: Version 6. Download now from the iTunes and Google Play App stores.
iTRACC
ITIM, in collaboration with the ACI web team, have developed the Information system for Trauma, Retrieval and Critical Care (iTRACC) website (restricted access).
iTRACC supports time critical decision making. This is achieved by providing easy-to-use clinical and logistic information on NSW and cross border services and assets, presented in a geospatial web-based format.
Current status: Version 2. Live. Planning transition to eHealth platform and new governance model.
Trauma e-Learning Modules
ITIM is developing virtual learning and clinical support environments to work in conjunction with the ITIM website and ACI Moodle site to provide streamlined access to all trauma clinicians in NSW, irrespective of location and profession that will aid in care of traumatically injured patients. The e-learning program will be developed with the goal of the modules being hosted on the HETI My Health Learning site.
Current status: One module published, two modules developed and being reviewed.