ACS Committee on Trauma releases recommendations on maintaining trauma center access during COVID-19 pandemic

CHICAGO: The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) has released a guidance document, “Maintaining Trauma Center Access & Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance Document for Trauma Medical Directors,” that was recently sent to all medical directors of trauma centers. The ACS COT recommendations are intended to provide guidance to facilitate trauma centers’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and assist with safe access to care for injured patients who require time-sensitive life-saving interventions.

“The current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic threatens to overwhelm the health care system and thus impact the ability to care for critically injured patients and other surgical emergencies,” the document notes.

The ACS COT advises Trauma Medical Directors and Trauma Program Managers to be actively engaged in the regional and hospital planning process for providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACS COT recommendations cover the following aspects of the planning process:

• Regional Planning
• Hospital Planning
• Policies & Procedures to Protect and Support Trauma Team
• Strategies at Point of Care
• Strategies for Managing Scarce Resources

The full guidance document is available online: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/trauma/maintaining-access.

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Contact

• Email: pressinquiry@facs.org