Tag Archives: Central Ohio Trauma System

Incident Management: The Central Ohio Trauma System’s Hospital Incident Liaison

The Central Ohio Trauma System’s Hospital Incident Liaison (HIL) role was recently featured on FEMA’s Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov).

The COTS HIL role emerged as a direct response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. COTS conducted planning for a potential influx of victims to the two verified burn centers in central Ohio. As part of this process, COTS contacted all Franklin County, OH, hospitals to inquire about bed availability and other resource needs in the event that the burn centers would require transfers of less critical patients. All hospitals demonstrated receptiveness to share resources and assist one another in order to respond collectively to the disaster. The COTS Executive Committee recognized the value in collaboration and an ongoing need for coordinated hospital response. Consequently, the committee met to define and implement the HIL role.

Click here to access the article on LLIS.gov

 

COTS is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit organization that coordinates trauma care, emergency care, and disaster preparedness systems throughout 15 counties in central Ohio. COTS serves as the hospital preparedness coordination agency for the central Ohio Homeland Security Region 4 (see map 1 below). The COTS Board of Trustees consists of hospitals and emergency medical services (EMS) providers, Columbus Medical Association physicians, and local health agency representatives. COTS manages and distributes Federal preparedness funds to 29 partnering hospitals and community healthcare partners in Region 4. These funds enhance individual and regional hospital preparedness planning through the purchase of equipment and supplies, participation in training and exercises, and other preparedness initiatives.

Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov) is the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national online network of lessons learned, best practices, and innovative ideas for the emergency management and homeland security communities. 

 

*Information for this posting extracted from the referenced article

 

Trauma system data shows some trauma patients are undertriaged in Franklin County

From the Central Ohio Trauma Systems (COTS) First Quarter 2011 newsletter:

The COTS Regional (Trauma) Registry collects data on approximately 13,000 trauma patients annually who arrived at COTS-member hospitals for care. In 2009, the COTS Registry revealed that 772 trauma patients with serious injuries were transported by EMS to non-trauma centers within Franklin County. Although the State’s Trauma Triage Criteria allow for exceptions to transporting trauma patients to trauma centers, a question is raised:

why in Franklin County, with five verified trauma centers, would EMS choose to transfer injured patients with risk to life or limb to a non-trauma center, given that a trauma center is within a few minutes’ drive from anywhere in the county?

The COTS Registry reveals that of the 772 patients transported to non-trauma centers in Franklin County in 2009, 629 or 81% had NO physical findings consis- tent with the state’s existing trauma triage criteria. This means that these 629 trauma patients were “under-triaged” as trauma patients by EMS. One major factor in under-triage is EMS trauma triage criteria that fail to delineate symptoms or conditions indicative of signifi- cant trauma injuries.

Click here for the newsletter and article

COTS releases Hospital Resources Guide for EMS

The new guide lists some of the capabilites of area hospitals, including services available for: pediatric care, burns, cardiac arrest, STEMI, decon, dialysis, hyperbarics, OB, psych, sexual assault, acute stroke and trauma

Two versions are available:

Central Ohio Hospitals:  http://www.goodhealthcolumbus.org/files/resources/79

Franklin County Hospitals:  http://www.goodhealthcolumbus.org/files/resources/81