Association of Initiation of Statewide Pediatric Trauma Collaborative and Hospital Preventable Transfer Rates

In brief

This study evaluates the impact of Utah's statewide pediatric trauma collaborative (UPTN) on reducing unnecessary hospital transfers of injured children. Researchers analyzed whether implementing standardized trauma care guidelines across participating hospitals decreased preventable transfer rates and identified hospital-level factors associated with improved triage decisions.

• Utah Pediatric Trauma Network (UPTN) launched in 2019 to standardize pediatric trauma care across member hospitals statewide.
• Study evaluates whether collaborative implementation of trauma guidelines reduced unnecessary inter-hospital transfers of injured children.
• Identifies hospital-level factors associated with lower preventable transfer rates after network establishment.
• Preventable transfers burden families, delay care, and increase costs—network aims to keep appropriate cases at initial facility.
• Demonstrates value of regional trauma systems in optimizing resource utilization and patient outcomes in pediatric populations.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.