Automated information reporting system to assess the performance of trauma and orthopedics services at the regional level: analysis of the capabilities

Background. The relevance of this study is determined by the need for an objective assessment of the current state of the trauma and orthopedics service in the Russian Federation and the search for effective tools that can support informed management decisions in this field.

The aim of the study — to conduct a preliminary analysis of the performance of trauma and orthopedics services in three federal districts of Russia based on the data from an automated information system for collecting annual reports.

Methods. Data for the analysis were obtained from the automated information reporting system (AIRS). To demonstrate the capabilities of this system, we analyzed not all available indicators, but only those what were most relevant to the research question.

Results. At the time of writing, information was available on the performance of 644 (44.1%) inpatient and outpatient trauma and orthopedics units out of 1460 registered in the system. The highest reporting completeness (61.1-71.7%) was observed in the North Caucasian, Northwestern, and Southern Federal Districts, as these districts are supervised by the Vreden National Medical Research Center of Traumatology and Orthopedics and began working with the AIRS one year earlier than the others. Not all regions within these districts participated in filling out the AIRS: in the Northwestern Federal District, data were provided by 10 out of 11 regions; in the North Caucasian Federal District, by 7 out of 7; and in the Southern Federal District, by 7 out of 8. At present, information from inpatient facilities is reported more completely than from outpatient clinics: data are available for 218 inpatient facilities and 210 outpatient institutions.

Conclusion. The analysis of the results demonstrated that data from the AIRS make it possible to elevate the assessment of the current state of trauma and orthopedics services in any region to a new qualitative level by providing detailed information on the nature of injuries and therapeutic interventions. A fundamental component of decision-making regarding patient routing should be an understanding of the highly specialized aspects of service operations and the key challenges in delivering specialized care. As the number of organizations contributing data to the AIRS increases, the validity of the information will improve, and the analytical capabilities for evaluating the performance of trauma and orthopedics services will expand. With long-term functioning, the accumulated database will enable not only screening studies but also the monitoring of processes over time.