BACKGROUND Trauma systems reduce mortality and improve functional outcomes from injury. Regional trauma networks have been established in several European regions to address longstanding deficiencies in trauma care. A perception of the geography and population distribution as challenging has delayed the introduction of a trauma system in Scotland. The characteristics of trauma incidents attende...

BACKGROUND Formalized trauma systems have shown beneficial effects on patient survival and have harvested great recognition among health care professionals. In spite of this, the implementation of trauma systems is challenging and often met with resistance.Recommendations for a national trauma system in Norway were published in 2007. We wanted to assess the level of implementation of these reco...

Neurogenic heterotopic ossification (NHO) is a disorder of aberrant bone formation affecting one in five patients sustaining a spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury. Ectopic bone forms around joints in characteristic patterns, causing pain and limiting movement especially around the hip and elbow. Clinical sequelae of neurogenic heterotopic ossification include urinary tract infection, p...

Federal and state policymakers have turned to health planning programs as a means to rationalize the delivery of health care services in the United States for over 3 decades. Early federal initiatives such as the Comprehensive Health Planning Act of 1966 and the Health Planning and Resource Development Act of 1974 were widely criticized for their inability to control costs effectively or to inc...

INTRODUCTION An effective trauma system should offer patients triaged to a trauma center (TC) a survival advantage and cost-effective treatment. Three questions were asked: 1) Does treatment at a TC versus a nontrauma center (NTC) improve survival? 2) Is the system cost-effective? 3) Is access to the system equitable? METHODS The 2003 Florida discharge database identified patients with ICD9 c...

BACKGROUND Tiered trauma team response may contribute to efficient in-hospital trauma triage by reducing the amount of resources required and by improving health outcomes. This study evaluates current practice of trauma team activation (TTA) in Dutch emergency departments (EDs). METHODS A survey was conducted among managers of all 102 EDs in the Netherlands, using a semi-structured online que...

Soft-tissue management and subsequent salvage of the lower extremity following trauma has long presented difficult challenges to plastic surgeon. Trauma can produce long-term sequelae consisting psychological trauma, functional deficits, increased costs healthcare system. Avoiding incorrect is important, compounded by fact that few guidelines exist on appropriate treatment patient counseling. T...

During a 2-day period at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, a multidisciplinary group of health care providers reviewed data available on trauma systems in North America in an attempt to clarify future directions. Like the explorers Lewis and Clark, whose journey brought them down the Columbia River, the participants knew where they wanted to go, but ...