Essential Trauma Care: strengthening trauma systems round the world

Injury has become a major cause of death and disability world-wide. Systematic approaches to its prevention and treatment are needed. In terms of treatment, there are many low-cost improvements that could be made particularly in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen their trauma systems. These can be formalised under "Essential Trauma Care" programme, similar to other global programmes for major public health problems. World Health Organisation (WHO), leading the initiative in this direction, convened a meeting at Geneva in June 2002, involving Injuries and Violence Prevention Department of the WHO, the Working Group for Essential Trauma Care of the International Association for Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care (IATSIC), representatives of other organisations and trauma care clinicians representing Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The meeting developed a preliminary list of Essential Trauma Care services and a model template for the skills and equipment needed to assure them. It is intended to be used to assist individual countries in planning their own trauma care services.