A healthcare facility providing care to patients who are suffering from serious traumatic injuries such as accidents, falls, assaults with weapons, etc. Trauma centers are located within the hospital where highly trained specialists are employed to offer care to patients with traumatic injuries. In the center, healthcare professionals who work include registered nurses, cardiac surgeons, trauma surgeons, radiologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, etc. They are equipped with 24×7 access to laboratory, diagnostic equipment, operating room, and resuscitation area so that they can provide care any time.
A hospital has to meet specific criteria in the US to receive trauma center permission. The criteria are set by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). There are different labels into which trauma centers are categorized based on their capabilities and facilities. Level-1 is the highest and level-5 is the lowest designation given to trauma centers.
Trauma centers that are of high level have advanced facilities and specialized nursing and medical care along with other necessary facilities. Even trauma centers may have helipads to facilitate airlift of patients from remote areas.
