Sensitivity and specificity of the Wessex Trauma Network Bypass Tool
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of the Wessex Trauma Network trauma unit bypass tool in predicting major trauma, with suggestions for modifications to assist pre-hospital clinicians in appropriate triage and transport.
IRAS ID
219069
Contact name
Eleanor Freshwater
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
The proposed study is a quantitative evaluation of routinely collected data relating to patients sustaining traumatic injuries in England. It's purpose is to improve the early identification of those that are severely injured so that they may be appropriately managed in a Major Trauma Centre. To assist ambulance crews to make complex decisions around transport, a number of triage tools have been developed with the aim of identifying patients who are severely injured, without over-loading the system and inappropriately bypassing TUs with patients with lesser injuries. Such a tool is used in the Wessex region and is known as the Trauma Unit Bypass (TUB) Tool.
The aim of this study is to explore if refinement to the Wessex Trauma Unit Bypass Tool is required and, if necessary, to propose modifications to improve its performance in identifying patients who have suffered major trauma.
The objectives of this study are as follows:
• To assess the accuracy of the Wessex Trauma Network Trauma Unit Bypass Tool in predicting major trauma by calculating its' sensitivity and specificity in identifying patients with an Injury Severity Score of greater than or equal to 15.
• To conduct an analysis of cases which are either under or over-triaged in order to identify patients for whom their injuries are not predicted accurately.
• To suggest modifications to the Trauma Unit Bypass (TUB) tool in order to improve accuracy.
• To test the modified TUB tools in order to assess their sensitivity and specificity against the original data set.REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0511
Date of REC Opinion
26 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion