Value-based Trauma Care
Understanding the Effectiveness of a New Trauma Admitting Service Model

Synopsis

Why the research project is important

Modern trauma care is complex, nuanced and rapidly changing. Ensuring patients get the best care in this time-critical environment is challenging. Previous research suggests that patients receive leading-edge treatments sooner, and reductions in both mortality and trauma-related readmissions are achieved, when care is managed by a trauma specialist-led, multidisciplinary team who hold direct admitting rights rather than operating as a consulting service. The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Trauma Service recently changed from a consultative service to an admitting service, with the aim of improving care for trauma patients in Queensland.

What the research seeks to do

Until late 2021, the RBWH Trauma Service provided care via a consulting service while overall care was managed by another department, (e.g. orthopaedics). The RBWH Trauma Service then changed to an admitting service, which enabled the service to manage the overall care of such patients. This study sought to understand the impact that the new admitting service model of care had on patient care, variations in patient outcomes, including length of stay and complication rates, as well as treatment costs post-implementation. A multi-method format was used to assess this impact, including clinician and patient interviews, and qualitative data analysis.

What are the research outcomes/ impact

The study highlighted that optimal trauma care delivery is focussed on connecting with people, recognising and caring for the trauma patient as a whole person and understanding individual and collective strengths. Strategies for ensuring that external and internal risks to service provision are mitigated in future service redesign included pre-planning with stakeholders, using designated trauma wards, and advocating for funding and training pathways. This study is the first to assess the implementation of an innovative, specialist-led, multidisciplinary admitting service model for trauma care in Queensland. Insights from this project will inform future planning of the Queensland Trauma System as a whole.