June 10, 2009

Delaware Survival Rates of Seriously Injured Improve Significantly

CHRISTIANA – Today, Governor Jack Markell and other state and local officials joined with members of the Delaware Statewide Trauma System, to recognize recent data showing a significant improvement in the care provided to those most seriously injured in our state, and a much-improved survival rate.

As chair of the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council (DEMSOC), Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Lewis D. Schiliro recently received a report on the mortality rate for seriously injured persons in our state. Recent Delaware Trauma System data analysis revealed an impressive decrease in death rates since 1998 in the most severely injured patients transported to Delaware Trauma Centers. In 1998, 45% of the most severely injured patients died. Today, that number has decreased to 20%.

“These statistics demonstrate that the work done by all the agencies of Delaware’s Statewide Trauma System over the past 10 years has had excellent results. It clearly shows that the collaboration and coordination among these professionals mean that we are saving more trauma patients every day,” said Governor Jack Markell.

The State’s Trauma System is comprised of a vast network of professionals who work together to ensure that trauma patients receive the appropriate emergency medical care for their injuries. They include 911 Emergency Communications Centers, Basic and Advanced life support providers, fire and police agencies, hospital emergency trauma teams, air medical transport, and in-house Trauma Center resources such as operating rooms and intensive care units.

“The most important aspect of today’s celebration is that no matter where in the State people are injured, they enter a system of care that follows the same guidelines and standards and makes certain trauma patients are cared for in the facility best equipped to manage their injuries. This remains the primary goal of the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council,” said Secretary Schiliro.

The success of the statewide Trauma System is the result of a lot of hard work on behalf of many people and agencies especially the Division of Public Health (DPH) Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS). OEMS is the lead agency and provides oversight of the Trauma System, from the time a traumatic incident occurs through the full continuum of care.  OEMS has played an important role in bringing the many individual components into one organized system of care that functions as a statewide team of caregivers.

With the guidance of OEMS efforts, Delaware has developed one of the nation’s few truly inclusive statewide Trauma Systems, in which every acute care hospital participates in the Trauma System and has met the standards for state designation as a Trauma Center or Trauma System Participating Hospital.

"Many lives have been saved in Delaware due to the cooperation and commitment of the EMS providers, community health professionals and state agencies that sustain our statewide trauma system," said Steven Blessing, chief of DPH's Office of Emergency Medical Services.