Using Teletrauma to Improve Access to Trauma Care in the US: A Call for Action

Nearly 30 million, mostly rurally located Americans lack timely access to level I or II trauma center care, resulting in inefficient resource use and potentially preventable death. Although significant progress has been made in the care of the injured patient during the last few decades, rural trauma patients continue to face significant challenges in accessing high-quality trauma care with resultant outcomes disparities and increased expenditures associated with potentially avoidable interfacility transfers. Current mitigation strategies have not sufficiently improved access to trauma care among this population, necessitating a search for alternative strategies such as integration of telehealth for trauma care or teletrauma. Telehealth is well-established in several healthcare areas resulting in improved patient- and system-level outcomes. Although telehealth has been used in trauma with some success, it remains underused. Members of a 2023 American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Spotlight Session on the role of teletrauma present an introduction to the applications, potential benefits, and future directions for telehealth use in trauma care.