Research

Current Status

The purpose of the 1998 Academic Symposium to Evaluate Evidence Regarding the Efficacy of Trauma Systems, previously referred to as the Skamania Conference, was to systematically review the published literature to quantify our current understanding of trauma system effectiveness and chart a course to ensure that future research endeavors would build on current knowledge and expand traditional methods used in trauma system assessment. The research findings and the "future course" mapped during the conference were published in a September 1999 Supplement to the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection and Critical Care . 11

There is generally a lack of consensus on research priorities, though the Skamania Conference began to bring some focus to that issue. There is currently no Federal focus for trauma research and Federal resources that do exist are distributed among several agencies. Though the current Administration is increasing the NIH budget, there is inadequate funding for trauma related research. And research that is being conducted is often not interdisciplinary.

The Vision

• Congress will establish a National Institute for Injury, within the National Institutes of Health.
• Federal agencies involved in or funding trauma research will be coordinated through a formal institutional process. One example of such occurred in January 2001, when seven Federal agencies participated on an interagency program announcement, PA-01-044, titled Emergency Medical Services for Children Research.
• There will be formal efforts to interest young professionals in trauma research and there will be sponsored training programs in all types of research.
• Types of research conducted will include fundamental basic research, crash investigation research, evidence-based medicine, best practices, clinical trials, clinical guidelines, and health services and systems research.