Abstract
Background: Surgical audit is a requirement of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and a normal part of surgical practice. Peri‐operative audit on deployed operations has recently been introduced into the Australian Defence Force (ADF). From 2008 three Australian surgical teams have deployed to Uruzgan province in Afghanistan to provide resuscitative surgical capability within a Dutch NATO forward hospital facility. During this time a trial of a computer based audit programme ADF SurgAssist was undertaken.Methods: All patients undergoing surgery by the Australian surgical team were included. Data was collected prospectively and entered onto a computer based audit system. Data fields included the Minimum Data Set recommended by the RACS, modified to the battlefield environment.Results: (Data from the 3rd rotation will included but is not yet available). A total of 199 operative procedures were undertaken over a discontinuous 12 week period. The majority of cases (>90%) reflected emergency or subsequent management of conflict related trauma. The most common procedure performed was exploration and debridement following explosive or gunshot injury followed by delayed closure or grafting. 11% required orthopaedic fixation. Australian personnel constituted 11% of all operations performed. Paediatric (<16 years) cases accounted for 31%. Follow‐up information is limited but three in‐hospital deaths were reported.Conclusion: Whilst still under development, ADF SurgAssist has demonstrated its utility in the battlefield environment. This is the first time verifiable peri‐operative outcome data has been obtained during ADF operations and represents the ADF's ongoing commitment to best surgical practice.
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