The Austrian Traumatic Brain Injury Project (In memory of Alfred von Auersperg)(2001-2003)

There is a consensus among Austrian trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons and intensive care physicians, that it is desirable and timely to develop national guidelines and to build a central database for all trauma patients. Recognizing this consensus, IGEH has begun developing the technical means to address this opportunity. It is doing this through a three-year project, funded by the Bank of Austria, now in six regional trauma hospitals throughout Austria. In the first year the hospitals are introduced to the concept of evidence-based care through the TBI Guidelines and then tracking compliance with their TBI patients through the use of a patient database. In the third year of this project the regional trauma hospitals will introduce to surrounding hospitals the evidence-based guidelines and the tracking system to monitor compliance of care The data collected will be analyzed and provide basic epidemiological and quality of care information. This will be used to help formulate an updated Austrian policy for TBI treatment.