Quality of care and patient outcomes at a Level I trauma center in Germany remain consistent for patients admitted during “business hours” and those treated after hours, according to a recent paper in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.
Researchers at University Hospital Regensburg studied 394 patients with multiple trauma. Patients were grouped by admission time and date, differentiating between patients admitted weekdays between 8 a.m and 4 p.m. (business hours) and patients admitted outside of business hours.
The results showed no difference in process quality and patient outcome measures between the two groups. Admission time had no affect on time to arterial access and time to CT. The two groups also showed no difference in 24-hour mortality, overall hospital mortality and recovery from brain injury.
“These results might be attributable to the standardization of the treatment process using established principles, algorithms and guidelines as well as to the resources available in a level-1 trauma center,” the authors concluded. Read Paper
