CHILDREN'S TRAUMA CARE EARNS ELITE STATUS Injuries are the biggest killer of children and the main reason they are rushed to a hospital emergency room. That's why a first-class pediatric trauma center is vitally important if a community is to offer great medical care for kids. In June, University Hospital joined an elite group of medical centers across the country when the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma recognized it as only the fifth Level I pediatric trauma center in Texas, and the only one outside Dallas, Houston or Austin. The pediatric trauma center also includes the only pediatric burn program in South Texas. ''Traumatic injury kills more children than all other disease processes combined," said Dr. Lillian Liao, pediatric trauma and burn director at University Hospital. "Our goal is to prevent the disease of trauma by educating the public on how to keep their children safe. Becoming a pediatric Level I trauma center is a testament of the outcomes we have in providing top quality care to the injured children we treat. The ACS pediatric trauma Level I verification is also a commitment to all children in the region in promoting education and advancing care for the injured child." South Texas is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, and the need for the highest level of pediatric trauma care is great. In 2015, 1,342 children ages 16 and younger were treated by University Hospital's trauma team for serious injuries and burns. That number has risen in each of the past five years, and is 57 percent higher than in 2011. To earn Level I status, University Hospital demonstrated an expertise and commitment to treating and preventing injuries, to research aimed at finding new and better treatments, for educating the next generation of pediatric trauma specialists, and to pediatric rehabilitation to restore injured kids to the highest possible level of function and return them to a normal life. University Hospital has long been a Level I trauma center that cares for both adults and children. In 2012 it sought and became a Level II pediatric trauma center - making it the highest level pediatric trauma center in South Texas at the time. But the aim was always to become a Level I center. Both Level I and Level II pediatric centers must show they are capable of taking care of the most seriously injured children, with subspecialists available in-house around the clock. The criteria for a Level I pediatric trauma center goes beyond Level II in a few key areas. It must have immediate, around-the-clock access to an even larger group of physician specialists. It must be a referral source for other communities, offer continuing education of the trauma team members, help direct new innovations in trauma care, and operate a program for substance abuse screening and patient intervention. Research has found that younger and more seriously injured children have better outcomes at a pediatric trauma center, which is staffed by specially trained physicians and nurses, has appropriate resuscitation equipment and medications, requires special protocols for imaging and other diagnostic procedures, and follows special pain management guidelines.
2016 See How We See Annual Report
To see the actual publication please follow the link above