Establishing a standard for assessing the appropriateness of trauma team activation: A retrospective evaluation of two outcome measures

Abstract

Background Trauma team activation (TTA) is a wellrecognised standard of care to provide rapid stabilisation of patients with time-critical, life-Threatening injuries. TTA is associated with a substantial use of valuable hospital resources that may adversely impact upon the care of other patients if not carefully balanced. This study aimed to determine which of the two outcome measures would be a better standard for assessing the appropriateness of TTA at a paediatric centre: retrospective major trauma classification as defined within our state, and the use of emergency department high-level resources as recently published by Falcone et al (Falcone Interventions; FI). Methods Trauma registry ..