Around 10% of all worldwide deaths result from trauma, with 90% occurring in low- and middle-income settings. This not only leads to a significant loss of life but also imposes substantial morbidity and disability, causing economic burdens. Ensuring the development of trauma care globally across different health settings is essential to reduce this burden of disease.

Dr Michael Bath, General Surgical Registrar and Lead Investigator for the GOAL-Trauma Study

The new study is co-funded by the University of Cambridge, is calling upon doctors, researchers, and health-care professionals from across the globe to join forces in understanding and advancing trauma care.

Many injuries, such as road-traffic accidents or stabbings, result in damage to the organs or blood vessels in the abdomen, often requiring emergency surgery known as trauma laparotomy to save lives. The majority of patients with traumatic injuries live in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, the differences in the injuries, the hospital care they receive, and their overall outcomes compared to patients in high-income countries remain largely unknown.

To improve survival rates from traumatic injuries, the GOAL-Trauma study aims to provide a global snapshot of current mortality rates following trauma laparotomy. The study aims to gain insights into variations in time delays in receiving care, disease and patient factors, and overall patient outcomes.

What sets this study apart is its collaborative nature: any hospital or health care facility worldwide conducting emergency trauma surgery is invited to participate. With collaborators joining from every corner of the globe, the GOAL-Trauma study is rapidly shaping up as one of the largest-ever studies in trauma care.

Dr Michael Bath, General Surgical Registrar and Lead Investigator for the GOAL-Trauma Study emphasised the importance of this study:

"Around 10% of all worldwide deaths result from trauma, with 90% occurring in low- and middle-income settings. This not only leads to a significant loss of life but also imposes substantial morbidity and disability, causing economic burdens. Ensuring the development of trauma care globally across different health settings is essential to reduce this burden of disease."

The GOAL-Trauma study is based in the International Health Systems Group in the Department of Engineering Engineering Design Centre.

The International Health Systems group is an interdisciplinary team comprised of academic engineers and clinicians. The group research the improvement of healthcare, through systems thinking, with partners across the world, based on a model of participatory action research, based on equitable relationships.

How to get involved

Any hospital worldwide that performs emergency trauma surgery is invited to participate in the study. The collected data will be added to centres across the globe, creating a comprehensive dataset.

Each collaborator in the study will be part of the collaborator authorship and contribute to the development of a growing research network dedicated to advancing trauma care.

The study is due to begin shortly, but any hospital worldwide can join the study at any time. To participate, register your interest by following the link below, and we will provide the necessary documents to get started.

Further information and link to register on the GOAL-Trauma website

Email: team@goaltrauma.org

Funding: The GOAL-Trauma study is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the University of Cambridge.