@article{ref1,
title="Surveillance by casualty attendance registers",
journal="Topics in health information management",
year="1997",
author="Steenkamp, M. and van der Spuy, J.",
volume="18",
number="2",
pages="32-38",
abstract="Health managers need trauma data, but appropriate information is often lacking. The challenge is to develop affordable and sustainable information systems. The article describes the development of a regional trauma database and an evaluation of a basic surveillance methodology. A comprehensive survey was conducted of first-time attenders with fatal and nonfatal trauma from both state and private sectors in metropolitan Cape Town, South Africa, and a hospital-based survey was conducted of nonfatal trauma in the surrounding rural areas. In four state hospitals, a standardized adaptation of casualty attendance registers was evaluated to determine whether such registers could be used to establish a trauma surveillance system. The two cross-sectional studies covered a population of 3.4 million and provided detailed data. The evaluation of the register highlighted problems and indicated how to establish a register-based trauma surveillance system. Although such surveys yield comprehensive local data, there is a need for salient regional and national surveillance data. Minor modifications of casualty attendance registers may provide this without much additional effort and expense.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1065-0989",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}