TRAUMA CENTERS IN THE UNITED-STATES - IDENTIFICATION AND EXAMINATION OF KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Objectives: To identify all hospitals in the United States that operat ed a trauma center between 1980 and 1991 and to contrast their organiz ational, service, and medical staff characteristics. Design: Trauma ce nters were identified through a series of surveys and follow-up discus sions with state emergency medical service directors. Data on hospital characteristics were obtained through the American Hospital Associati on's 1990 Annual Survey of Hospitals. Materials and Methods: Hospital characteristics were compared across: (1) hospitals with and without t rauma centers; (2) operational and closed trauma centers; and (3) trau ma centers-based on trauma level and source of designation. Measuremen ts and Main Results: Overall, 471 operational trauma centers and 58 ho spitals that dropped this service were identified. Several differences were found in hospital operational, service, and medical staff charac teristics across hospitals with and without trauma centers and across trauma centers distinguished by trauma level and by whether they conti nued to provide the service through 1991. Few differences were present across formally designated and self-designated centers. Conclusions: The study provides structural and organizational profiles of trauma ce nters that should help trauma system planners identify strong candidat es for trauma center designation.