IGEH/INRO NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2004

January 23, 2004

 

To: All Supporters, Friends and Colleagues

Dear all,

I trust that you have had enjoyable vacations! We all at IGEH wish you the best for 2004 and a continuation of our partnership. Let me inform you where we are at the beginning of 2004, mainly with projects, ITCP database and the team.

Projects

We have two major and several smaller projects.

  1. Austrian TBI (In memory of Alfred von Auersperg). This year of the project was devoted to complete the collection of data from Austrian sources. Now on the focus is on analysis of outcomes in terms of exploration into factors influencing mortality, as well as indicators of early and late quality of life after TBI. Insights into the role of health care facility structures are being evaluated, as well.
  2. TBI: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Croatia, European Union, 5th FP-Copernicus 2002- 2005. As you have learned from the previous Newsletter, the project started effectively in January 2003. In 2003 I have visited all centers in the capacity of the project coordinator. In all visits I introduced and discussed the project concept with staff of the project centers. By the end of the year collected data were statistically processed and patterns described. During the December workshop details of the analysis were discussed and conclusions derived. The concept of Evidence Based Medicine in TBI treatment was introduced. The centers will start collecting data on patients prospectively from January on.
  3. Critical Pathways or Treatment Protocols Under the leadership of prof. Dr. Walter Mauritz IGEH team started to develop critical pathways for the treatment of patients with severe TBI. The pathways are fully based on Scientific Evidence and are strictly complement with the TBI Guidelines. There will be several components addressed by the pathways: prehospital care and transport, acute intensive hospital care, surgical part, X-rays, nursing and long term care and rehabilitation. We would appreciate your involvement very much.
  4. We have learned that our application for a project EU SANCO Injury prevention was approved for years 2004 and 5. The project aims to enhance trauma statistics for countries joining EU this year. Here we will build up on our relations with many colleagues from the region.
  5. We have prepared another project application for EU SANCO: Surveying, assessing and analyzing the health challenges in the candidate countries with partners from Netherlands: Public Health Consultants, CEEN, Austria and with 14 individual consultants from EU candidate countries. Announcement on the results will be made this year.
  6. Thank to our close collaboration with University of Vienna we were included into a project proposal within the EU 6th FP in Research, where innovative technologies for information processing will be developed and tested in the area of TBI.
  7. 7. In 2004 we plan to develop a project with Russia and NIS countries within the call for projects from EU 6th Framework Program in Research (INCO), and also try to get funding for a project in Austria.

ITCP Database

 The database underwent comprehensive evaluation and current version (1.3.1) is being used in all the centers of IGEH collaboration. Total number of cases in the database by the end of 2003 was 632!!. We would like to congratulate all the participants for their excellent work. We have several new centers, who joined the family of ITCP users: Hospital in Michalovce, Slovakia, Hospital in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, Trauma Hospital in Brno, Czech Republic. This year will be devoted to analyzing and interpreting data. We encourage all who are interested in joining this international effort to contact us.

IGEH Team

 Our team has grown. Prof. Dr.Med. Walter Mauritz, Univ.Doz. Dr. Martin Rusnak and Dipl.Ing. Ivan Janciak were joined with a group of young researchers from Austria and Slovakia. This significantly enhanced "power" of IGEH allowing for more activities to be planned and undertaken.

New members are:

  • Dr. Alexandra Brazinova, M.D., Ph.D., MPH - Specialized in Public Health (Masters and PhD levels) with specific orientation to epidemiology of chronic diseases, quality of care and health care ethics.
  • Dr. Petra Dado, MD - She went through extensive training in general surgery and 26 months of neurosurgery. She was admitted for a PhD program in Public Health this year and will take 6 month course in Hospital Management in London. Her interests are quality of care for trauma and managerial aspects of TBI care.
  • Dr. Johannes Leitgeb, MD - Is assistant professor in the University of Vienna, the Department of Traumatology, AKH. He has spent a year in South Africa as trauma surgeon. His major research interests are in quality of care and clinical outcome.
  • Mag. Lucia Lenartova- Public health graduate from Trnava University, Slovakia in 2003. Continues PhD study at the same university. Her research aspect is trauma systems.
  • Mrs. Ingrid Wildbacher, RN - Registered nurse, studies social sciences in Vienna University, will graduate this year. Her research interests are in nursing aspects of care for TBI victims and their relation to outcome.
  • Recently we have received news, that Dr. Annelise Rosso, MD, young medical doctor from Italy has received a grant to work with us for a year. She will concentrate on strengthening our collaboration with Italian centers. We all are delighted to hear that.

With the best regards,

Martin Rusnak, M.D., CSc