[The trauma patient: open hospital choice?]

Victims of trauma have usually no choice regarding the physician or hospital they are admitted to. In order to deliver the best possible trauma care it is crucial that trauma victims first receive competent on site primary care before being admitted directly to a hospital that is sufficiently equipped and qualified to take care of their injuries. Recent literature suggests that individual outcomes, but also per-case costs of trauma patients clearly improve, when prehospital care, triage and admission to specially designed trauma centres are coordinated within regional trauma systems. This provides supporting evidence for the recent proposals by the Swiss Medical Association (FMH) in 1996 who formulated 12 statements regarding rescue services in Switzerland. In order to optimise rescue and trauma care there is an urgent need for restructuring existing systems nation-wide. Trauma patients may thus to some degree lose their freedom in choosing their preferred physician or hospital.