BALTIMORE, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A Johns Hopkins University and University of Washington study indicates trauma-center care lowers by 25 percent the risk of death for injured patients.
The nationwide study was conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Researchers say the study is among the first to provide strong evidence of the effectiveness of specialized trauma-care facilities.
"Hospitals have difficulty justifying the expense of maintaining trauma centers without strong evidence of their effectiveness. Now we have conclusive data to show that trauma care is effective," said the study's lead author, Ellen MacKenzie, chairwoman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg school.
"The findings of this study argue strongly for continued efforts at regionalizing trauma care at the state and local levels to assure that patients who suffer serious injuries get to a trauma center where they are afforded the best possible care."
The study is detailed in the Jan. 26 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
