"The
establishment of a pediatric trauma research network will be an important
advance in trauma care in the U.S."
- Dr. Jeffrey Upperman, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 11
There are many experts working in separated fields
of research, but there is no organized network for sharing new discoveries,
protocols and best practices. There is also a need for accessing patient data
for new research opportunities.
In 2010
Jeffrey S. Upperman, MD, director of the Trauma Program at
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, co-authored a call to action for filling a
significant gap in pediatric public health care and seeks federal oversight to
establish the framework for a pediatric applied trauma research network (PATRN).
This call to action was published
simultaneously in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and the Journal of
Trauma.
12
Collaborative networks for
pediatric critical care and pediatric emergency care currently exist but only
address specific sections of the care required by a pediatric trauma patient.
The goal of a Pediatric Trauma Network is to address the critical unsolved
problems that typically cross specialty boundaries including emergency
transport to the hospital, emergency room care, pediatric surgery,
neurosurgery, intensive care, physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Establishment of a pediatric trauma network will enable cohesive care from
admission to discharge for the patient with multi-system injuries.