[Practical and theoretical limits of score systems].

Trauma-scoring is a measurement of injury severity. Before conclusions can be drawn from their results, their validity, reliability and practicability need to be known. With respect to these factors the following statements may be proposed: some scores do have relatively low inter-rater reliability; retrospective interpretation of findings and diagnoses in the patient records may be equivocal; parameters contributing to the score may be lacking in some records; scoring may be time-consuming; the parameters selected to make up the score may not include all the relevant ones; the influence of time is neglected; different methods of patient selection may confound the interpretation of scoring results; most scores are only evaluated with respect to mortality; the scores are interpreted exclusively on the basis of statistical probabilities. We suggest that such scores as the ISS, PTS, (R)TS, which have been fairly well studied with respect to validity, reliability, and practicability, be prepared.