The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published a study authored by Ellen MacKenzie, PhD, Fred Rivara, MD, MPH, Jerry Jurkovich, MD and colleagues on the effectiveness of level I trauma centers. Jointly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, this analysis of data from the National Study on the Costs and Outcomes of Trauma (NSCOT) is among the first to provide strong evidence that level I trauma centers can effectively prevent deaths from injuries.
This study, “A National Evaluation of the Effect of Trauma Center Care on Mortality” analyzed outcomes of 5,190 adult trauma patients. Some patients received treatment at 18 hospitals with level I trauma centers (the highest level of trauma care); others were treated at 51 hospitals without a trauma center. Findings showed level I trauma centers can lower the risk of death for injured patients by 25%.
According to Richard C. Hunt, M.D., director of CDC’s Injury Center’s Division of Injury Response (proposed), “This research provides state and community leaders with crucial information, so that they can make sound decisions regarding trauma systems and the care that people receive after they are injured. It is just one of many ways that CDC contributes to reducing premature death and disability through research and partnerships.”
NSCOT data will be further analyzed to determine whether level I trauma center care can also improve the quality of life for trauma survivors. Again, researchers will compare hospitals with level I trauma centers with those lacking trauma centers to examine the differences in cost of care and the functional outcomes of patients.
To view the article, access the CDC’s Injury Center website at www.cdc.gov/injury.
The press release about the article can be viewed on the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health website at http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2006/mackenzie_trauma.html
For more information on trauma care, visit the American Trauma Society website at http://www.amtrauma.org/.