Retrospective analysis of 32,749 patients: A pilot orthopedic trauma registry study in Ankara province

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal injury is a public health concern that substantially increases the workload of emergency healthcare providers and hospitals in developing countries. Successful management of the diagnosis and treatment processes reduces healthcare costs and shortens the duration of preventable disabilities in patients with musculoskeletal injuries. Here, we aimed to investigate the musculoskeletal trauma distribution within five years within the borders of Ankara province. METHODS: In this study, preliminary diagnoses of the patients with musculoskeletal injury made within five years (2014 – 2018) by emergency healthcare providers in Ankara were retrospectively screened through the Emergency Health Automation System – EHAS. The patients were classified according to age, gender and diagnosis. RESULTS: This study included data for the time period between 2014 and 2018 from 32,749 patients, i.e., 19,523 male and 13,226 female patients in Ankara province. The number of patients was recorded for each year, and it was found that there was an increase in the number of patients between years. Musculoskeletal trauma was most commonly seen in the 19-64 (adult) age group, and the highest number of cases was observed in April. Hips and thighs were the most common trauma regions in the body. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study is the first to analyze data obtained from emergency healthcare providers in Turkey, and it can be considered a pilot study that can be utilized to eliminate the existing drawbacks and optimize registry systems by updating them.

Keywords

• musculoskeletal injury
• national registry
• trauma
• emergency healthcare.