Introduction: The trauma centre at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark was established in 1999 and has continuously tried to improve its efficiency through regular training of personnel and auditing of selected trauma cases. The purpose of the present study was to assess the efficiency of the trauma teams to perform the initial evaluation using the time spent in the emergency room after arrival and the time to the first chest X-ray as measures for effectiveness.
Material and methods: This was a prospective cohort study conducted from January 2000 to December 2008 and which included all trauma patients admitted to the hospital.
Results: The results are based on 4,493 admissions, of which 1,102 patients (24%) had an injury severity score > 15. The median time spent in the trauma room was 50 minutes in 2000, which was steadily reduced throughout the period reaching a median time of 27 minutes in 2008 (p < 0.0001, Kruskal-Wallis test). The median time to the first chest X-ray was reduced from seven minutes in 2001 to five minutes in 2008 (p < 0.024, Kruskal-Wallis test).
Conclusion: Utilisation of a standardised protocol for initial evaluation and treatment of trauma patients and continuous training of trauma teams may considered some of the main factors responsible for these findings.
Funding: not relevant.
Trial registration: not relevant.