Many trauma program managers have a hard time evaluating the productivity of individual trauma registrars. A registrar who abstracts eight complex charts in a week might be just as productive as one who works through 15 uncomplicated cases during the same period. How can you tell which registrars are working efficiently and which are falling…
Author: Robert Fojut
Injured patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had an odds of death six times higher than uninfected trauma patients, researchers found. COVID-positive trauma patients also had twice the odds of any complication. The study was based on data collected by trauma centers designated by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF). It examined more than 15,000…
Trauma research in the U.S. is underfunded compared to other diseases. While efforts are underway to lobby for additional support, these efforts do not address the underlying problem that hampers trauma research funding. According to Martin Schreiber, MD, FACS, chair of the Trauma Center Association of America (TCAA), a major problem is a lack of…
Pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home orders led to a 13% drop in miles driven in the U.S. last year. But according to the National Safety Council (NSC), the number of people who died in motor vehicle crashes jumped 8%. “It is tragic that in the U.S., we took cars off the roads and didn’t reap any…
The recent suspension of in-person site visits for trauma center verification is a temporary pause, not a permanent discontinuation, according to the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Leaders of ACS Trauma Quality Programs also clarified that once the COVID-19 pandemic eases, both in-person visits and virtual remote visits will likely play a role in the…
A new study coordinated by the Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR) will implement a venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention bundle at 10 trauma centers in the U.S. The proven intervention consists of a web-based nurse education module and a patient-centered education package. Leaders of the study hope it will demonstrate the feasibility of rolling the…
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has announced that it has developed a process for conducting trauma center verification site visits in a virtual format. ACS leaders also reported that they will soon finalize major revisions to the college’s trauma center standards. The upcoming changes were previewed during the 2020 TQIP Annual Scientific Meeting and…
Cryopreserved packed red blood cells (RBCs) may be as safe and effective as liquid packed RBCs for initial resuscitation of moderately injured patients in the civilian setting, according to a study in The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. Adding frozen RBCs to the trauma armamentarium could improve the availability of blood during disasters…
Over the last decade, trauma centers have stepped up their efforts to prepare for mass shootings. But according to an expert in mass casualty response, there are several misconceptions about mass shooting events that can undercut hospital readiness. “When you talk about disasters, you have to divide them into two types — progressive events and…
Michael Glenn’s career in trauma has taken him all over the world. He started out as a paramedic in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Since then, he has managed trauma programs, set up trauma data systems, trained trauma nurses and taught trauma PI on five continents. Mike is currently the manager for trauma surgical quality…