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Abstract
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The development of regionalized emergency medical care systems has been an exciting proposition and its benefits have been anticipated for some time. The State of Illinois embarked on such a program for the care of the critically injured on July 1, 1971, and has had almost two years of experience in this effort.
During the first year of this program, Illinois has had a significant decrease in highway fatalities (8%). In a central 15-county area where a Regional Trauma Center (Springfield, population 95,000) and three Local Trauma Centers were established, a 15% decrease in death from vehicular accidents has been documented. Also, in this region, there has been a reorientation and redistribution of the most critically injured patients, with 75% now being transported to designated trauma centers. A secondary beneficial effect has been that 38% fewer patients are now dying at the scene of the accident. More critical highway accident victims are reaching trauma center hospitals alive and surviving longer in these upgraded care facilities. The clinical records of all accident patients entering the statewide system (13,000 in 1971-72) have been abstracted into a computerized informational system, the Trauma Registry. An in-depth evaluation of these patients including multiple clinical parameters (death and morbidity), epidemiologic factors (time and distance), and cost effectiveness (patient redistribution and trauma health manpower requirements) is now underway and the results of these efforts will be presented. |