What Are Ethical Implications of Regionalization of Trauma Care?

Outcomes for severely injured patients are improved when they are treated at trauma centers. However, interfacility transfers can delay time-sensitive treatments not requiring the resources of tertiary institutions. Regionalized trauma systems allow physicians to decrease delays in care, prevent inadequate treatment, and ultimately reduce preventable deaths. Although precise risks and benefits of triage choices are unknowable, estimating them is a process well known to surgeons. Recognizing patient transfers as integral to optimal care delivery systems, rather than as detracting from them, is essential.