First implementation: RESPOND Guatemala · Hospital Roosevelt
Open-source · Free · Offline-first

Every trauma patient should count.

OpenTrauma Registry is a free, open-source, offline-first platform for standardized trauma data capture, quality improvement, and multicenter collaboration — built for hospitals where generic solutions fail.

The Problem

When trauma registries fail, the sickest patients become invisible.

Trauma registries are essential tools for quality improvement, injury surveillance, and system planning. But in resource-limited hospitals, they routinely fail — not because of lack of motivation, but because of structural barriers that generic platforms do not address.

Internet outages

Registry access depends on stable connectivity. In many hospitals, outages are frequent and unpredictable, making consistent data entry impossible.

Registrar workload

Excessive data-entry burden leads to incomplete records, burnout among registry staff, and eventual discontinuation.

Complex interfaces

Generic platforms with cluttered navigation create barriers for clinical staff, especially during high patient volumes.

Mobile incompatibility

Bedside documentation requires mobile-ready tools. Desktop-only solutions fail at the point of care in most real-world hospitals.

The Solution

Built from failure. Redesigned for real-world trauma care.

OpenTrauma Registry was redesigned using structured stakeholder feedback from frontline registrars, trauma surgeons, and hospital administrators. Every design decision was driven by documented failure modes in the field.

Offline-first capture

Data is saved locally on the device and syncs automatically when internet is restored. Zero data loss from outages.

16-step ATLS-aligned workflow

Structured intake following ATLS sequence: mechanism, airway, breathing, circulation, neurological, procedures, and follow-up.

Mobile and desktop ready

Designed for bedside use on any device. Optimized for touch input, small screens, and clinical environments.

Spanish and English interface

Fully bilingual with language toggle. Expandable to additional languages for regional and national programs.

Automated scoring

ISS, RTS, TRISS, GCS, Shock Index, and predicted survival probability calculated automatically in real time.

Customizable variables

Center-level configuration of data fields, local codes, and required fields. Adaptable to national protocols.

Quality dashboards

Case completeness tracking, non-blocking data quality alerts, and center-level summaries for QI and governance.

Export-ready data

One-click export to Excel or CSV with field labels and formatted values. Ready for research, audit, and reporting.

Use Cases

One platform. Multiple use cases.

Single hospital registry

Deploy a standalone trauma registry in any hospital. Minimal setup, no IT infrastructure required.

Multicenter research network

Connect multiple centers under a shared protocol. Centralized data governance, site-level autonomy.

National trauma data system

Foundation for a national trauma surveillance system, compatible with ICD-10 and AIS coding.

Quality improvement program

Ongoing trauma performance improvement using completeness dashboards, mortality review, and benchmark data.

Mass casualty data capture

Rapid, streamlined intake for mass casualty events. Designed for high-volume, time-pressured environments.

Expandable beyond trauma

The platform architecture is disease-agnostic. Future modules for burns, obstetric emergencies, and surgical outcomes.

First Implementation

From Guatemala to a global trauma data network.

OpenTrauma Registry began as a response to a documented registry failure at Hospital Roosevelt in Guatemala City — a 1,700-bed public hospital and the largest trauma center in Central America. A REDCap-based trauma registry, implemented between 2019 and 2021, was discontinued after failing to overcome structural barriers. A structured failure analysis and stakeholder engagement process informed the complete redesign of the platform.

Register my center

2019–2021

REDCap-based trauma registry implemented at Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala City

2021

Registry discontinued due to internet outages, registrar workload, and interface complexity

2024–2025

Stakeholder-informed failure analysis; LLM-assisted platform redesign initiated

2026

OpenTrauma Registry launched for multicenter implementation and global use

Evidence

Evidence behind the redesign.

Submitted abstract

When Trauma Registries Fail: Low-Cost, Stakeholder-Informed Redesign of a Trauma Registry in a Resource-Limited Hospital

38th Pan-American Congress of Trauma (PTS 2026) · Cartagena, Colombia · August 18–21, 2026

Key findings

775 patients enrolled before discontinuation of the original registry

Key barriers: internet outages, long data-entry time, interface complexity, and mobile incompatibility

Clinically actionable variables — injury severity, procedures, outcomes — had marked missingness

Redesigned platform addressed all identified barriers through offline-first capture, bilingual interface, automated scoring, and streamlined 16-step workflow

Team

Built by a global surgery and trauma systems team.

OpenTrauma Registry is developed by researchers, surgeons, and implementation scientists across global surgery programs.

DR

Dario Missael Rocha-Castellanos

Project Lead · Global Surgery Research

Surgeon and global surgery researcher. Led the failure analysis of the original REDCap registry and the full redesign of OpenTrauma Registry using LLM-assisted development.

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change

SA

Sabrina Marie Asturias Simons

Guatemala Implementation · Clinical Collaborator

Led on-the-ground implementation at Hospital Roosevelt. Coordinated registrar training, stakeholder engagement, and clinical validation.

Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala

ND

Nardeen B. Dawood

Research Collaborator

Research collaborator on trauma registry design, data quality, and implementation science.

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change

AL

Amelia Levi

Research Collaborator

Research collaborator contributing to implementation analysis, stakeholder methodology, and dissemination.

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change

CT

Carlos Terraza

Guatemala Collaborator

Clinical collaborator at Hospital Roosevelt contributing to local implementation and surgical data capture.

Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala

JM

Jose Carlos Monzon

Guatemala Collaborator

Clinical collaborator at Hospital Roosevelt supporting trauma registry implementation and data quality.

Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala

GH

Gabriella Y. Hyman

Global Surgery · Research Collaborator

Global surgery researcher contributing to implementation framework and dissemination strategy.

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change

JM

John G. Meara

Senior Advisor

Professor of Global Surgery at Harvard. Founder of the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change. Senior advisory role.

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change · Boston Children's Hospital

JP

Juan Carlos Puyana

Trauma Surgery Advisor

Trauma surgeon and global health leader. Advisory role in ATLS alignment, trauma systems design, and implementation.

University of Pittsburgh · UPMC

NR

Nakul Raykar

Faculty Mentor · Trauma Systems

Faculty mentor and trauma systems researcher. Led mentorship on registry design, implementation science, and global surgery evidence.

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change · Brigham and Women's Hospital

Partners

Partners and implementation sites.

OpenTrauma Registry is developed in partnership with leading trauma and global surgery institutions.

RES

RESPOND Guatemala

HR

Hospital Roosevelt

PGS

Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change

BWH

Brigham and Women's Hospital

BCH

Boston Children's Hospital

PTS

Panamerican Trauma Society

Interested in becoming an implementation partner? Contact us

Demo

Explore the platform.

No registration required. Log in with either demo account to explore the full registry workflow.

🌎

International Demo

OpenTrauma Registry

Direct access

Full platform with pre-loaded sample trauma cases. Explore the ATLS workflow, dashboards, exports, and all features without entering data from scratch.

16 ATLS steps
Auto-calculated scores
Quality dashboard
Excel export
Enter demo

No registration required · Instant access

Join

Bring OpenTrauma Registry to your center.

OpenTrauma Registry is free and open-source. We support implementation at no cost for hospitals in resource-limited settings. Contact us to start.