Best practice: Oregon's model for regional trauma system peer review

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Trauma Care Systems
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Oregon statewide trauma system established in 1985 by state legislature.
• Legislation mandated the creation of regional trauma committees, known as area trauma advisory boards.
• Region 1's area trauma advisory board, established in 1988, oversees the state's only two Level 1 trauma centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the long-standing peer review process within Oregon's trauma system.
• To present the Trauma Audit Group as a model for successful systemwide quality improvement.

Main Methods:

• Review of the historical function and structure of the Trauma Audit Group, a peer review subcommittee.
• Analysis of the 22-year operational history of the interhospital peer review body.

Main Results:

• The Trauma Audit Group has operated for 22 years as an interhospital peer review body.
• The committee serves as a successful model for systemwide quality improvement within the trauma care network.

Conclusions:

• The sustained peer review by the Trauma Audit Group demonstrates a long-term commitment to trauma care quality.
• This model of collaborative quality improvement has proven effective in Oregon's trauma system.