Discussion document on injury severity measurement in administrative datasets

Introduction An expert working group meeting was convened by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) on September 8-9, 2004 to discuss how best to measure injury severity based on information typically available in administrative datasets. The term ‘administrative dataset’ is used to differentiate it from a trauma registry dataset. While administrative data are used primarily for billing purposes and the data are usually abstracted and compiled by medical records personnel, these databases are also used for purposes other then billing, including surveillance, research, evaluating therapies and quality assurance. Trauma registry data, on the other hand, are generally considered the best source of in-depth data on the anatomic nature and physiologic consequences of injuries.(Rivara 2001; Wynn, Wise et al. 2001)