Cleveland-area trauma system shows early success

A new report shows that health outcomes for trauma patients in Northeast Ohio have improved significantly since the formation of a regional trauma system (Source: "New study touts effect of MetroHealth-Cleveland Clinic collaboration on local trauma care" Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept. 24,
2014)

The Northern Ohio Trauma System, or NOTS, was formed in late 2009 as a collaboration between the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center. The purpose of NOTS was to develop a more efficient model for trauma care, including standardized treatment and transportation protocols within the Greater Cleveland community.

In the two years since the establishment of NOTS, the mortality rate for traumas in Cleveland
dropped from 5.7 percent to 2.7  percent. The mortality rate for patients in Cuyahoga County and surrounding counties dropped from 4.4 percent to 2.7 percent, and the mortality rate for
patients with injuries such as gunshot or stab wounds dropped from 10.1 percent to 6.5 percent.

Nationally, outcomes for adult trauma patients have been steadily improving. Whether the study’s
measures of local improvement in trauma care are the result of NOTS or simply a reflection of the national trend is hard to say without examining the raw data. According to Dr. Brendan Patterson, chairman of NOTS, the full study will be released upon acceptance for publication.