The Oxfordshire Head Injury Register

Abstract

This paper looks at the process of setting up a Head Injury Register whose aims are: (1) to identify reliably and rapidly patients who have sustained a head injury so that service can be offered to them; and (2) to obtain epidemiological data to identify needs and inform future service planning and development. The register records all cases of head injury in patients aged 16–65, regardless of severity, which present to hospital services in Oxfordshire whether or not admitted as inpatients. It was set up as part of a research project into the value of providing an early follow-up service for head injury patients. The paper highlights the difficulty of identifying these patients reliably. It details the administrative and technological problems encountered, together with some of their solutions.

Key Words:

• epidemiology
• head injury