Trauma System Verification

Trauma care verification for an institution ensures the trauma care delivered at the site is appropriate for their designated place in the trauma system. Beyond this, trauma systems should be verified to ensure that the network of trauma hospitals, pre-hospital care, interhospital transfer arrangements and outreach education programs are optimal.  In the US, trauma care verification has been shown to positively impact trauma systems, reducing mortality and variation between centres.

The Australasian Trauma Care Verification Program has reviewed trauma systems from as early as 2004 and projects include the first whole of country review of Aotearoa New Zealand in 2017.  More recent system reviews include South Australia in 2023, Central AoNZ in 2024 and a review of every trauma hospital in NSW between 2021 and 2024.

We recommend that all trauma hospitals within a trauma system undergo the verification process as part of a trauma system review.  A separate day of meetings with pre-hospital services, government representatives and regional trauma organizations informs a report with actionable recommendations for policy makers and budget holders.

Publications

Published evidence supporting the benefits of Trauma System Verification:

1. Mlaver E, Atkins EV, Medeiros RS, Sharma J, Solomon G, Galloway L, et al. Impact of American College of Surgeons trauma verification on statewide collaborative outcomes. J Trauma Acute Care Surg; 98(3): 410-417 doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004505
2. Flabouris A, Civil IDS, Balogh ZJ, Isles S. The New Zealand trauma system verification. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2020; 89(3): 585-596. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002774
3. Balogh ZJ. Trauma verification: for the trauma centre or for the trauma system? ANZ J Surg 2014; 84: 499-501. doi; 10.1111/ans.12573