Trauma System

Trauma is one of the main causes of death in Iran, which occurs every day across the world. Experts believe that currently around 50% of the causes of traumas in the world are traffic accidents. According to a WHO report, this number will rise if basic measures are not implemented in this field. Trauma mostly affects the young population who are in their productive stage of life and play a critical role in development of the society.

The highest rate of mortalities due to unintentional injuries in the world belongs to deaths due to driving accidents, most of these being in developing countries.

Every year, 5 million people die of preventable accidents. According to WHO, 3.5 million deaths occur annually in the world as a result of road accidents, of which more than 2 million are in developing countries. Furthermore, more than 50 million annual deaths are caused by traffic incidents.

Statistics show that road accidents are the 11th cause of death and the 8th cause of lost life years (DALYs). About 85% of deaths and 90% of life years lost due to these injuries are in low- and middle-income countries like Iran.

Studies on the amount of injuries caused by road accidents in children and young adults show that these cases were the first cause of death of the 10 to 14-year age group among the 10 major causes.

What is trauma system?

Trauma system is an integrated and organized effort within a defined geographic area that provides a wide range of care for all injured patients and is coordinated with the local public health system.

The true value of a trauma system results from integrated transition between phases of care and coordination among available resources for patient recovery. The success of a trauma system depends on the support of the country's major politicians.

Localized trauma systems can lead to efficient use of health care resources. They are developed based on the unique needs of the population at the rural, urban and national levels. Trauma systems should emphasize the prevention of injuries in the field of health and community health in particular. Finally, the trauma system development throughout the country will provide effective care with the ability to resolve medical needs when facing a human or natural disaster.

Trauma system organization

The four basic pillars of the trauma care system include:

Injury Prevention:

The primary focus of trauma systems in the future will be injury prevention because it has the greatest potential to reduce the financial burden of trauma care, as well as mortality and disability.

Prehospital Care:

Pre-hospital care and its availability is an important part of a trauma system and is defined as prompt care for trauma patients at the scene of the accident. Pre-hospital care includes care related to the injured, which starts from the accident site and ends in the emergency room of the hospital. Some studies consider these services until the patients are discharged from the hospital. Pre-hospital trauma care includes pre-hospital trauma care providers, trauma information systems, casualty transfer facilities and communication systems.

Acute Care Facilities:

The final care of the injured takes place at different levels of a health care system, ranging from primary care centers to tertiary trauma care centers. The advancement of trauma care at a facility depends on the coordination of providers, which often leads to improved care for other patients at the same facility. The continuous improvement process should be used in order to upgrade the system of performance.

Post-hospital Care:

Post-hospital care is an essential step in returning an injured person to life and improving his quality of life. In addition to these effective components of the trauma system, the following fundamental elements should be in place to support a comprehensive health care system:

Management

Specialized resources

Training and support

Data management

Funds

Research

Technology

Preparedness and response to conventional and unconventional events