TRAUMA CARE IN ITALY - EVIDENCE OF IN-HOSPITAL PREVENTABLE DEATHS

The quality of a trauma system can be assessed by the rate of preventa ble deaths. A random selected sample of 110 trauma patients was examin ed using both clinical and autopsy data. The assessors were asked the following question: If this patient had sustained the accident in fron t of the hospital in a normal working day, might death have been preve nted? Death was found to be unavoidablein 61 cases; in 25 cases death was classified potentially preventable; 11 cases were classified as cl early preventable death. The main failures of treatment were identifie d as errors and delays during the first phases of in-hospital assessme nt and care. An improvement in the pre-hospital phase will be almost u seless if the quality of the definitive in-hospital management is not addressed.