RITG (Registro Italiano dei Traumi Gravi): multiregional Italian Register of Acute Traumas

The establishment of integrated extra- and intra- hospital care systems for trauma patients (Trauma System or SIAT) has in the past led to a considerable reduction in the mortality rate of trauma victims. One essential component of the Trauma System is the Trauma Register (TR), which is considered an indispensable tool for improving the quality of care in the trauma field. The aim of this article is to describe an innovative project that aims to create the first Italian multi-regional severe trauma register. The project involved three Italian hospitals with 2nd level Emergency Admissions Departments. The database includes all the trauma victims hospitalised in the three participating hospitals between 1st July 2004 and 30th June 2005 with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 or that were admitted directly to the resuscitation unit. The project resulted in the creation of a severe trauma data recording system, which meets expectations and which would appear to be of a good quality, in relation to the literature available. To date, most of the aims of the project have been achieved. We can therefore expect further positive evolutions, such as the use of the register to improve the quality of treatment and research, participation in a European-scale register and the participation of other hospitals.