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Draft - Trauma Division

Trauma is an injury or injuries, caused by an external force or violence. Trauma injuries may range from minor to severe, from obvious to non-apparent and may include single or multiple injuries. Traumatic injury*:

  • Leading cause of death between the ages of 1-44 in the United States*.
  • Third leading cause of death between ages of 45-64*.
  • Leading cause of Years of Potential Life Lost before age 65*.
  • Overall injury mortality rate in Oklahoma is 29% higher than the national average.

*Based on 2022 data from WISQARS, Centers for Disease Control.

Oklahoma Statute requires the State Health Department to develop and monitor a data collection system for trauma (Section 1-2511 of Title 63). The Trauma Registry was developed pursuant to that requirement. It is a database that contains detailed information about injuries that meet a specified level of severity. This information is submitted by hospitals.

Trauma Case Criteria and Submission Guidelines

  • Submission Guidelines
  • Case Inclusion Criteria
  • Case Exclusion Criteria
  • Major, Minor and Reportable Criteria
Trauma Registry Training
 
  • Quarterly Virtual Training
  • Basic Trauma Registry Training
  • Advanced Trauma Registry Training
Oklahoma Trauma Summary Reports and Publications
 

To request information from the department, please follow the Open Records Request process. 

The OTEP program is the result of a collaborative effort between OSDH Emergency Systems and the Oklahoma Institute of Disaster and Emergency Medicine. This program includes:

  • The Oklahoma Trauma Triage DVD
  • Pre-Hospital Trauma Triage Reference Guide
  • Interfacility Reference Guide
  • TReC Quick Reference Guide
  • OTEP PowerPoint
  • TReC Quick Reference Guide

The program is designed to teach hospital personnel and EMS workers the correct procedures for triaging and transferring patients, which will reduce morbidity and mortality in critically injured patients as well as get injured patients the specialty care they need.

EMResource is a web-based information and resource management tool that optimizes real-time communication to enhance response to daily medical emergencies, preparedness activities, mass casualty events and public health incidents. It is used to support patient transport and transfer decision-making activities such as:

  • Identifying and managing emergency medical resources
  • Broadcasting incident specific events – Public Health, MCI’s, and Disasters
  • Facilitate daily and as-needed hospital bed capacity reporting
  • Public health surveillance activities
  • Facilitate transfers of traumatic patients based on the specialist information provided by hospitals.

Current users are able to view resources in regions surrounding Oklahoma including Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.

A trauma system is an organized approach to facilitating and coordinating a multidisciplinary system response to severely injured patients. The trauma system continuum of care includes injury prevention, emergency medical services field intervention, emergency department care, surgical interventions, intensive and general surgical in-hospital care, rehabilitative services, social services, and support groups to enable both the patient and their family to return to society at the most productive level possible. It is estimated that 20% of trauma-related deaths could be prevented if optimal care was available to everyone.

Oklahoma is undertaking system development using an inclusive system model, meaning the plan addresses the needs of all injured patients and is inclusive of small hospitals as well as large trauma centers.

The components of a Trauma System can be grouped into the following categories:

  • Administration input and oversight.
  • Pre-hospital care
  • Hospital care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Data
  • Education and Advocacy

  • Title 63 Oklahoma Statute § 1-2530 et seq - Oklahoma Trauma System Improvement and Development Act
    • Called for development of a statewide trauma system plan.
    • Created Regional Trauma Advisory Boards with representation from hospital and ambulances services.
    • Called for development of a statewide trauma system plan.
    • Called for the development, regulation and improvement of trauma system on a statewide basis.
    • Requires the regional trauma quality improvement activities, and provides exemption to the Open Meetings and Open Records Act for such activities.
  • Oklahoma Administrative Code 310:667 Hospital Classification Standards for Trauma and Emergency Operative Services
  • Oklahoma Administrative Code 310:669 Trauma Fund

Development is a living concept and will change as needed.  An agency can contact us, and we will conduct a needs assessment with the agency to determine the agency’s development areas.  The needs assessment, coupled with in-depth discussion with the agency, will be used to set up a consultation with the agency’s personnel.  Simply put, we will provide training tailored to the needs of the agency.

EMS Agencies, Certified EMRAs, volunteer agencies, EMS Directors, Medical Directors and other interested organizations, groups or individuals, could often benefit from specialized training that Emergency Systems can provide. 

Placing “resource personnel” into geographic areas to aid agencies:

  1. Assist with EMRA development, training and organization
  2. Assist with EMS director training and meetings for agencies
  3. Assist with REMSS coordination
  4. Assist with regional collaboration efforts on
    1. Organization and funding (522 and Title 19 development, multi-agency collaboration)
    2. County or regionalized agencies
    3. Medical direction
    4. Communications
    5. Consultations on
      1. Protocol development, scope of practice, skills and equipment
      2. Process development ex: CQI, staff education
    6. Facilitate cooperation between EMS and hospitals, EMS to EMS through regional meetings

Title 63 Oklahoma Statute OS §63-1-2530.8 provides for recognition and certification of Trauma Transfer and Referral Centers in communities with = or > than 300,000 in population.

All ambulance services transporting patients must contact the Trauma Transfer and Referral Center if their destination hospital is within:

  1. Oklahoma County or communities that are contiguous to it including Mustang, Norman and Yukon.
  2. Tulsa County.

Purpose:

  1. Ensure patients are directed to the appropriate hospital based on the regional plan and current hospital capability and capacity.
  2. Reduce over-triage and under-triage.
  3. Preserve highest-level resources for the most severely injured.
  4. Help to limit demands on scarce specialists.

Contact TReC at (888) 658-7262.

Contact Information

Phone: (405) 426-8480
Fax: (405) 900-7560 or 4059007560@Xmedius.com (using email)
Email: Esystems@health.ok.gov