Access to pediatric trauma care: alignment of providers and health systems

Area of Science:

• Pediatric emergency medicine
• Trauma system organization
• Public health access

Background:

• Injury remains a primary cause of death and disability in children.
• The organization of pediatric trauma care in the U.S. is not well-defined compared to adult systems.
• This review examines the current state of pediatric trauma care and proposes future directions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the current landscape of pediatric trauma care in the United States.
• To identify areas for improvement in the delivery of pediatric trauma services.
• To suggest necessary steps for optimizing pediatric trauma care systems.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and data on trauma center accessibility.
• Analysis of geographic distribution and patient access to verified pediatric trauma centers.
• Assessment of current pediatric trauma care infrastructure.

Main Results:

• 84% of US adults have access to a Level 1 or 2 trauma center within an hour.
• 71.5% of pediatric patients have access to a verified pediatric trauma center within an hour.
• An estimated 17.4 million children lack access to a pediatric trauma center within 60 minutes, with significant geographic variability.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric-focused trauma centers demonstrably improve outcomes for injured children.
• Geographic disparities in access to high-level trauma care persist, leaving many children without timely treatment.
• Further research correlating access with outcomes is needed to guide policy for optimizing pediatric trauma systems.