Levels in the Classification of Trauma Centers | Medicalalgorithms.com

Description

A trauma center is given a designation from I to V depending on the manpower and resources available for the treatment of the injured patient.

Level I	Available Resources
usual location	major urban center
physician coverage on-site	24 hour trauma team with trauma surgeon
physician on call coverage	additional trauma specialists available on short notice
trauma services	comprehensive 24 hours a day
transfer agreement	from Level II to V
number of trauma cases per year	very large (> 1,200, with > 20% severely injured)
educational role	major, with residency, fellowship and research programs

Level II	Available Resources
usual location	urban or population center
physician coverage on-site	multiple physicians 24 hours a day
physician on call coverage	trauma specialists available on short notice
trauma services	full range of trauma services 24 hours per day
transfer agreement	from Level III, IV or V; send to Level I trauma center
number of trauma cases per year	large, includes severely injured
educational role	major, may have training programs

Level III	Available Resources
usual location	small to moderate sized community
physician coverage on-site	24 hours a day, with training in emergency care
physician on call coverage	general surgeon promptly available
trauma services	initial evaluation, assessment and management of the majority of injured patients
transfer agreement	from Level IV or V; send to Level I-II trauma center
number of trauma cases per year	moderate to large
educational role	locoregional

Level IV	Available Resources
usual location	rural or low population density
physician coverage on-site	24 hours per day
physician on call coverage	general surgeon on call, may be delayed
trauma services	initial evaluation, assessment and stabilization; severely injured patients transferred for definitive care
transfer agreement	send to Level I-III trauma center
number of trauma cases per year	daily
educational role	local

Level V	Available Resources
usual location	rural or low population density
physician coverage on-site	less than 24 hours per day
physician on call coverage	no requirement
trauma services	initial evaluation, assessment and stabilization; moderate or severely injured patients transferred for definitive care
transfer agreement	send to Level I-III trauma center
number of trauma cases per year	occasional
educational role	local

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