New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, presented at the EAST meeting this weekend, shows that trauma victims who sustain their injuries at night or on the weekend are not susceptible to the same medical care disparities as those who suffer time-sensitive illnesses such as heart attacks and strokes. The reason is because the regionalized trauma system, which mandates that trauma victims be taken to 24-hour, fully staffed facilities (Level 1 trauma centers), insulates these people from the problems associated with lower and less specialized staffing at regular hospitals during off hours.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Brendan G. Carr, says, “We found that no matter when you are injured, you get the same type of care when you are brought to a trauma center.”
Carr believes that the study has implications beyond trauma care. “The…emergency care system as a whole can be redesigned to take better care of the sickest, most vulnerable patients,” he says.
Read the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine press release on the study.