Validation of an Iranian Trauma Data Collection Form

BACKGROUND: Knowing the direction of traumatic injury is important as the information can help avoid death after trauma. A trauma registry usually entails detailed information about the demographics, cause, intensity of the injury, and the final diagnosis and outcome of the trauma-affected patient. Researchers should be able to evaluate all aspects of trauma injury and the patient’s status. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a trauma data collection form. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The development of the trauma registry form began in February 2013. The variables were finalized by a team consisting of general and trauma surgeons, specialists in emergency medicine, orthopedists, neurosurgeons, and public health professionals who have special interest in trauma research. The scale was sent to 10 specialists for validation. RESULTS: After assessing the scale validity twice, it was accepted with an integrator agreement of 0.89. The test-retest reliability was assessed in a convenience sample of 20 physicians (Kendall t = 0.97; P < 0.001). Such a high reliability may reflect redundancy of some items. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to establish a secure multicenter trauma registry in Iran for data collection, storage, and assessment of traumatic injury and these registries must be easy to install and use.