Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see this guide on related topic: Emergency Medical Services
Introduction
Trauma is often referred to as the neglected disease of the twenty-first century. HRSA reports that trauma related injuries in the United States are estimated to exceed 160,000 deaths each year, ranking as the 5th most common cause of death. Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans 35 and younger; with children and youth comprising 25% of all traumatic deaths. But most alarmingly it is estimated that 60% of all injury deaths in the U.S. occur in rural areas - even though only 20% of the nation’s population live there.
Several agencies and organizations are actively seeking ways to reduce rural trauma. Standards have been created to support organized levels of trauma care, model plans are available to help states and regions develop trauma systems, and training programs are available to assist rural medical and ancillary staff become better prepared to provide trauma care. It is widely believed that with an integrated approach deaths due to trauma can be reduced much like other contemporary diseases.
Sources: Model Trauma System Planning and Evaluation. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Report on Injuries in America - 2003. National Safety Council
Frequently Asked Questions
Maps & Map Collections
Injury Maps
Interactive
Geographic coverage: United States
Provides access to the geographic distribution of injury-related mortality rates in the United States. Allows user to create county-level and state-level maps of age-adjusted mortality rates for the entire United States and for individual states.
Map Tool to Assess Timely Access to Trauma Centers
Interactive
Geographic coverage: United States
Depicts Level I/II trauma center coverage throughout the United States. Identifies the availability of helicopter or ambulance for transport method.
Date: 2005
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Definitive Care Facilities
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons
Section from the ACS publication "Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient 2006." Lists and defines the levels of trauma care found in a trauma care system.
Date: 2006
Equipment for Ambulances
Sponsoring organization: American College of Emergency Physicians
Provides a list of standardized equipment for ambulances to optimize prehospital delivery of care and includes resources needed for appropriate terrorism preparedness.
Date: 2006
Guide for Enhancing Rural Emergency Medical Services
Sponsoring organization: Transportation Research Board
Guidance for implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Provides strategies that can be employed to enhance rural emergency medical services.
Date: 2005
Improving Rural Trauma Care, Education and Prevention through Telemedicine
Author(s): Michael A. Ricci
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Commerce
Evaluates how supplemental teletrauma consults improved the quality of trauma care in four rural hospitals.
Date: 03 / 2003
Model Trauma System: Planning and Evaluation
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
A guide to modern statewide trauma system development. It modernizes the HRSA 1992 Model Trauma Care System Plan. The document is designed to provide trauma care professionals, public health officials, and health care policy experts with the direction to use the public health approach, a scientifically proven method, when developing and evaluating trauma systems.
Date: 02 / 2006
Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural & Frontier EMS in the U.S. Health System
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Compares the findings of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Emergency Care reports with previous work on Rural Health and with the Rural and Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future and HRSA Model Trauma System Planning and Evaluation document. Identifies similarities and overlaps of the recommendations and approaches.
Date: 2007
Rural Health Facts: Traumatic Brain Injury
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
Provides overview and statistics on traumatic brain injury in the United States, with some information specific to North Dakota.
Date: 2005
Rural Safety in Your State
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota
Lists rural crash statistics by state.
Date: 2005
Rural Trauma Victims Dying of the "Golden" Rule
Author(s): Julie Ardery
Describes how death rates from traumatic injury are higher in rural United States and identifies successful statewide trauma care systems with a focus on Maine.
Date: 08 / 2007
Traffic Safety Facts 2005 Data: Rural/Urban Comparison
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Presents comparison data of rural versus urban traffic fatalities by year, location, speed and blood alcohol concentration.
Date: 2005
Trauma Performance Improvement: A Reference Manual
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons
Designed to provide an online handbook of definitions, models, practical suggestions and examples of performance improvement applications for trauma. Complements the ACS publication,
Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient.
Date: 01 / 2002
Trauma Systems Consultation
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons
A tool for those individuals who are charged with evaluating trauma systems. Provides guidelines and plans for the implementation of trauma systems.
Date: 12 / 2007
Trauma Systems Save Rural Lives
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses organized trauma care systems, which are critical to reducing mortality and morbidity in rural areas. Highlights include how access to trauma care varies by state, how rural hospitals play a role in trauma care, and a future goal of having coordinated care nationwide.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11 / 2007
Organizations
American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST)
National organization
Established to further the study and practice of traumatic surgery in its various departments, in the United States and Canada.
American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
National organization
ABEM certifies qualifying physicians who specialize in Emergency Medicine and is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Represents physicians who practice emergency medicine. Provides a national report card that includes an assessment of the support that each state provides for its emergency medicine system.
American College of Surgeons (ACS)
National organization
A scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.
American Trauma Society (ATS)
National organization
An organization supporting trauma care and trauma prevention in the United States as well as advocate for trauma victims and their families.
Brain Trauma Foundation (BTF)
National organization
Mission is to improve the outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients by developing best practice guidelines, conducting clinical research and educating medical personnel.
ChildTrauma Academy (CTA)
National organization
Helps improve the lives of traumatized and maltreated children - through education, service delivery and program consultation.
National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO)
National organization
Provides leadership and support to develop effective EMS systems throughout the nation and formulate national EMS policy, and to foster communication and sharing among state EMS directors.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
Federal government
Works to reduce morbidity, disability, mortality, and costs associated with injuries. Part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Federal government
Works to reduce deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
National Safety Council (NSC)
National organization
Works to educate and influence people to prevent accidental injury and death. Raises awareness about safety issues.
Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA)
International organization
Promotes excellence in care for the injured patient, through provision of scientific forums and support of musculoskeletal research and education of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the public.
Society of Trauma Nurses (STN)
International organization
A membership-based, non-profit organization whose members represent trauma nurses from around the world. Members are nurses involved in trauma care in clinical, administrative, research and educational roles.
Terms & Acronyms
Benchmark Global overarching goals, expectations, or outcomes. In the context of the trauma systems, a benchmark identifies a broad system attribute.
Casualty Any person who is declared dead, missing, injured, or ill as a result of an incident.
Catastrophic Incident Any natural or man-made disaster that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions.
Comprehensive trauma care system A coordinated inclusive system of care for the injured that encompasses all phases of care, from the prehospital setting to rehabilitation services and followup care. Such systems include data systems for injury surveillance and prevention as well as for performance measurement and improvement.
Definitive care Medical care intended to improve rather than stabilize a patient's condition. It includes the full range of preventive, curative acute, convalescent, restorative, and rehabilitative medical care leading to rehabilitation.
Golden hour The brief span of time just after a serious injury; survival usually depends on whether someone receives skilled critical care within those first 60 minutes.
Injury Physical harm or damage to the body resulting from the transfer of or exposure to mechanical, thermal, electrical, or chemical energy or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen.
Injury risk assessment The process employed to determine the likelihood that injury will result from an incident, taking into account the identification of the hazard type, population affected, severity of injury, and volume or number affected.
Mass casualty incident (MCI) A situation in which a large quantity or number of either physical injuries or deaths, or both, occur.
Trauma center A specialized hospital facility distinguished by the immediate availability of specialized surgeons, physician specialists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and resuscitation and life support equipment on a 24 hour basis to care for severely injured patients or those at risk for severe injury.
Trauma injury Acute physical injuries, including burns and head injuries, which pose a risk for death or long-term disability.
Trauma system A pre-planned, comprehensive, and coordinated statewide and local injury response network that includes all facilities with the capability to care for the injured.
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