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November 3,
2008
Little Rock -- The first major component of a potential trauma system for Arkansas was made operational today, according to officials at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). A new computer database, called a “dashboard,” provides an electronic communications link so hospital personnel can guide the timely transfer of a severely injured person to the hospital with the most appropriate medical staff, equipment and facilities to fit the patient’s particular needs.
The dashboard has been made possible through a $200,000 grant from Governor Mike Beebe’s Emergency Fund earlier this year. The grant paid for the software development and 24/7 system operation of the dashboard.
The dashboard is only one part of a trauma system—a lifesaving network when minutes count as a result of traumatic injury. This system consists of a network of hospitals and the complete, up-to-the-minute information about them that allows hospital and emergency department personnel to make the best decisions for appropriate patient care.
Most Arkansans believe that when they or a loved one is severely injured, they will receive specialized care in a hospital with doctors and equipment available to treat their particular needs. Arkansas is one of only three states in the nation without a trauma system, and the only state without a designated trauma center.
A necessary element for a trauma system in Arkansas is a database, or “dashboard”, that provides up-to-date status information to the 83 participating acute care hospitals in Arkansas. This information is necessary for rapid transfer of patients to the most appropriate care facility. By using the electronic dashboard database, hospital and emergency medical personnel will know which hospitals have available the most appropriate care for their patients. The database tells them whether or not hospitals in the system have specialists like neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and general surgeons available for duty.
“Any successful trauma system is built on a strong foundation of communication,” Governor Beebe said. “The statewide coordination of response and resources will help save lives in Arkansas, and the ‘dashboard’ will be a primary component of that system.”
Paul Halverson, DrPH, Director and State Health Officer said, “Physicians talk about the ‘golden hour’ of care with regard to severe injury. The ‘golden hour’ is the magic window of opportunity during which appropriate treatment by appropriately trained healthcare professionals can make the difference in life, death and/or disability in the future. In Arkansas, because of the lack of a trauma system, hundreds of victims are dying because they can’t get to the right place at the right time.”
“It’s easy to see how important the ‘dashboard’ and a possible trauma system are to our state,” Halverson said. “Every year, several thousand Arkansans die or are seriously incapacitated as the result of traumatic injuries from accidents. In fact, injury has been and remains the number one killer of Arkansans from ages one through 44. The sad fact is that many injuries and subsequent deaths are preventable. A comprehensive trauma system will help us dramatically reduce those numbers.”
The Department of Health has partnered with the Arkansas Hospital Association and contracted with Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) to design and manage the dashboard.
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