Systems-Based Care of the Injured Child: Technical Report

Abstract

Injury is the leading cause of death and a cause of disability in children and negatively affects physical health, mental health, and quality of life in both the short- and long-term. The goal of a pediatric trauma system is to optimize the care for children within a state, regional, or national trauma system across the entire continuum of care regardless of where they live or where the traumatic event occurs. This continuum includes injury prevention, prehospital care, interfacility transport between hospitals providing different levels of care, acute and critical inpatient care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, and reintegration into the community and primary care medical home. A systems-based approach, one that requires distinct elements of structure and function to perform together in an interrelated and cohesive manner to improve care quality, is essential. To improve outcomes after injury, a cohesive system must effectively provide optimal care for the “right child, at the right place, at the right time” across this continuum.