System Performance and Appropriateness of Care for Elderly Trauma Patients

摘要

Traumatic injuries occur frequently in the elderly and are often associated withpoor outcome, but very little is known about the extent to which elderly trauma patients benefit from systemized trauma care. Using 1989 discharge abstract data from eight regions, the extent to which elderly trauma patients were correctly identified and triaged to the appropriate level of hospital care was determined. The analysis was repeated using 1995 Maryland HSCRC data an a sample elderly trauma cases were reviewed by an expert panel to judge the appropriateness of care received. The 1995 Maryland ambulance records were analyzed to assess compliance with prehospital triage protocols, defined as the proportion of patients transported to trauma centers among those meeting prehospital major trauma criteria.