Table 4 System characteristic descriptors.

24

Time from alarm to hospital arrival

Continuous

HH:MM

The time between when the alarm call is answered (at the emergency call centre) and when the patient arrives at the reporting hospital.

25

Highest level of prehospital care provider

Ordinal

1 = Level I. No Field Care

2 = Level II. Basic Life Support

3 = Level III. Advanced Life Support, No Physician Present

4 = Level IV. Advanced Life Support On-Scene, Physician Field Care

5 = Other

6 = Unknown

The highest available level of competence of the pre-hospital care providers involved in the care of the injured patient.

26a

Pre-hospital intubation

Nominal

1 = No

2 = Yes

3 = Unknown

Was the patient intubated before arrival at the hospital?

26b

Pre-hospital intubation

Nominal

1 = A tube in the trachea (orotracheal, nasotracheal, or surgical airway) – drug assisted

2 = A supraglottic airway adjunct that prevents speech (such as esophago-tracheal combitube, the laryngeal tube, and various kinds of laryngeal masks)) – drug assisted

3 = A tube in the trachea (orotracheal, nasotracheal, or surgical airway) – not drug assisted

4 = A supraglottic airway adjunct that prevents speech (such as esophago-tracheal combitube, the laryngeal tube, and various kinds of laryngeal masks) – not drug assisted

5 = Other

6 = Unknown

Type of pre-hospital intubation.

Drug assisted = anaesthesia, neuromuscular blocking drugs, and deep sedation.

27

Type of transportation

Nominal

1 = Ground ambulance

2 = Helicopter ambulance

3 = Fixed-wing ambulance

4 = Private/public vehicle

5 = Walk-in

6 = Police

7 = Other

8 = Unknown

Type of transportation delivering the patient to the hospital.

28

Type of first key emergency intervention

Nominal

1 = Damage control thoracotomy – (any emergency or urgent thoracotomy performed for bleeding or suspected bleeding into the chest, but excluding simple thoracic tube drainage)

2 = Damage control laparotomy – (any emergency or urgent laparotomy performed for bleeding or suspected bleeding into the abdomen, including bleeding from the aorta)

3 = Extraperitoneal pelvic packing

4 = Limb revascularisation (Arterial injury necessitating vascular surgery or interventional radiology, including all interventions for pulseless limb, decreased perfusion and intimal arterial injuries)

5 = Interventional radiology (Angiographic embolisation; Stent; Stent-graft placement – excluding limb revascularisations which are classified as 4)

6 = Craniotomy

7 = Intracranial pressure (ICP) device insertion (excluding cases were the ICP device was inserted as part of a craniotomy which are classified as 6)

The first key emergency intervention performed for the treatment and stabilisation of the patient's injuries.

29

Activation of the trauma team

Nominal

1 = No

2 = Yes

3 = Unknown

Was the patient met by an activation of the trauma team prior to or upon arrival at the hospital?

30

Inter-hospital transfer

Nominal

1 = No

2 = Yes – Transferred IN to the reporting hospital

3 = Yes – Transfer OUT of the reporting hospital

4 = Yes – Transferred both IN and OUT of the reporting hospital

5 = Unknown

Was the patient transferred from/to another hospital for acute treatment?

31

Highest level of in-hospital care

Ordinal

1 = Emergency Department

2 = General Ward

3 = Operation Theatre

4 = High Dependency Unit

5 = Critical Care Unit (definition based on nurse to patient ratio)

6 = Unknown

The highest level of care in the main hospital.