SLCH Earns Elite State Trauma Designation
In June, two years of preparation culminated in St. Louis Children's Hospital being designated as an Illinois Level 1 pediatric trauma center. Currently, the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Centers in Illinois are in the Chicago area.
Children are cared for at adult trauma centers throughout the state, and SLCH had been providing care to Illinois children but was not included in their trauma system. SLCH pursued the designation in order to improve care for the pediatric trauma patients transported from Illinois each year.
In Region 4, which includes the five Illinois counties adjacent to St. Louis, there are no Level 1 trauma centers, adult or pediatric. Trauma centers in St. Louis have been providing the care.
"Prior to our receiving this designation, children in Illinois with severe traumatic injuries were transported by EMS to the closest facility. That center would then transfer the patient to a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, like St. Louis Children's Hospital," says Diana Kraus, RN, BSN, SLCH Trauma Services manager.
"Now that SLCH is designated as an Illinois Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, EMS crews can transport directly to us, getting the patient to definitive care promptly." She continues, "Studies show that injured children who are treated at a pediatric trauma center have much better outcomes than those treated at adult trauma centers and non-trauma hospitals."
SLCH Trauma Services also saw the designation as an opportunity to provide education and outreach regarding the care of pediatric patients, as well as input into the regional EMS protocols. Kraus along with Martin Keller, MD, SLCH trauma medical director; and Sam Vance, NREMT-P, SLCH EMS outreach coordinator, now serve as members of Illinois Region 4's Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Advisory Council and its Trauma and EMS Advisory Council.
"Prior to receiving this designation, SLCH did not participate with the Illinois trauma registry. Now that we are designated, we can enter injury data into their registry, which is one of the metrics used to develop injury prevention programs," says Kraus.
Requirements for becoming a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma center vary between Illinois and Missouri. One of the most significant differences is the Illinois requirement that a trauma nurse specialist be present in the Emergency Unit 24 hours a day. To meet that prerequisite, four SLCH nurses have undergone the 10-week, master's-level course, and eight others, including Kraus, are scheduled to complete the training in coming months.
"This is a major commitment of time and resources for both the hospital and our nurses, but it is one that we feel will have significant benefit to all of our trauma patients," says Kraus. "It also strengthens our status as a Magnet hospital; a designation that recognizes excellence in nursing.
In total, St. Louis Children's Hospital cares for an average of 1,700 pediatric trauma patients annually, with one-third of those coming from Illinois.
