Raising the bar for trauma care in Minnesota: proposal for a statewide trauma system

Minnesota is 1 of 9 states in the nation that have not implemented a formal system to coordinate the care that hospitals provide to victims of trauma. Past efforts to initiate such a system have floundered in part because they failed to consider the unique needs and capabilities of rural hospitals, which often are the first providers of care for trauma victims. This article describes a new effort to develop a statewide trauma system. The proposed system attempts to include all hospitals in the state in a voluntary network of trauma care. Key components of the plan include educating staff at small rural hospitals, instituting performance improvement programs, and establishing a trauma registry that will allow for statewide injury analysis.