Public Health Training CenterDover, Delaware
August 27, 2008 12:30 – 2:45 PM
Members Present: S. Murphy*, J. Muir*, D. Eberly*, M..Mitchell*, D. Jones*,A. Barnes*, G. Corrigan, M. B. Holland*, J. Whaley*, D. Hochstuhl*, J. Pirrung*, E. Johnson
Alternates/Guests Present:, M. Arford-Granholm*, D. Curtis*, P. T. Demnicki*, C. Littlefield*, S. Durgin*, B. Campbell, K. Bristowe*, P. Cowan*
Staff Present: M.S. Jones*, E. Alexander*, K. Spahr, G. Tinkoff*, S. Hypes*, M. Renzi*, R. Mergargel*, S. Blessing*, D. Hainsworth*
Members Excused: L. Jones, S. Raab-Long,P. Bachman, G. Luedtke, K. Collison, S. Palmer, B. King
* Trauma System Quality Committee
TOPICS / DISCUSSION LEADER / INFORMATION/ACTION/PLAN
I. Welcome / E. Alexander
Chair
A. Minutes / Minutes were reviewed and approved as written.
B. Announce-ments / M.S. Jones
A. Barnes
M. Renzi / Bayhealth Milford’s ACS/COT site visit went very well. Dr. Tinkoff noted that Delaware is a model for level 3 Trauma care.
Sussex County EMS will be sending a team to Israel September 5th, for a JEMS International competition. There will be 3 days of active EMS competition. Sussex will be the only team from the U.S.
EMSC will release their report, “2008 Childhood Injury in Delaware” on the 16th of September. Funding was provided by the Office of Rural Health.
C. Trauma Tidbits
“Highway to Heaven” / E. Alexander / Traffic deaths have dropped to the lowest since 1994, although 41,000 still die on roads yearly in the U.S. The biggest increase in Delaware is motorcycle deaths, up 13% last year. Most of the deaths are preventable. Power Point Presentation included a comparison between U.S. war deaths and highway death rates.
II. New Business
A. System Updates / R. Megargel / Advanced and Basic Life Support standing orders have been updated and approved by the Medical Directors and ALS Standards Committee of the Board of Medical Practice. They will be presented to the full Board of Medical Practice on September 9. The biggest change is in the general patient care orders concerning the use of red lights and sirens. The orders now reflect what constitutes reasonable use of lights and sirens from a medical perspective and seek to avoid unnecessary risk-taking with relatively stable patients. The medical community is being looked to for support for these revisions. It was moved by P. Cowan that a letter of support be sent to David Mitchell, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The motion carried. Other approaches to improving ambulance safety include additional driver education, vehicle design and addition of side impact bars, and revision of medical procedures being performed. Changes to the trauma standing orders will be discussed at the QE meeting.
B. B. Other / M.S. Jones / A handout from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems addressing air medical safety was provided to the attendees. There is much concern nationally about the increased number of air medical transport crashes this year.
II. Old Business
1. Trauma System Funding
Legislation and related initiatives / M.S. Jones / The Delaware Healthcare Association discussed Trauma System funding last year, but no action was taken due to other priorities at the time. If the discussion moves ahead this year S. Raab-Long will advise the Trauma System Committee.
2. Trauma System
Regulations Revisions / M.S. Jones / The Trauma System Regulations revisions are on the agenda for the work group after the Quality meeting. There are a few more to revisions to discuss.
3. Burn Surge Funds / M.S. Jones / The three hospitals accepting Preparedness Burn Surge Funds are Saint Francis, Beebe, and Christiana. Contracts are being signed and processed.
B. Designation Committee Report
1. 2008 site visits – Milford, Beebe, duPont / M. Mitchell / Waiting for Milford’s review report to come back from the American College of Surgeons Verification Review Committee. Upcoming visits are Beebe in September and A.I. DuPont in November.
C. Quality Evaluation Committee Report
1. Trauma System Registry Data / M.S. Jones / PowerPoint presentation on Delaware injury rates, including burns and ATV injuries. Sussex County had significantly more ATV injuries than Kent and New Castle counties between 2003 and 2007. System mortality rates for the ISS over 24 group have shown steady decreases each year from 2002 through 2007. If this trend continues in 2008, Dr Tinkoff thinks the data should be published.
2. Collector Version 4 / B. Campbell / Beth attended an ACS/ National Trauma Data Bank meeting in Chicago, where they discussed every element of the National Trauma Data Set. She came back and updated Christiana’s data dictionary, which she shared with all the other Trauma Registrars in Delaware. There will be follow up meetings of NTDB users in September. The ACS Trauma QI Program (TQIP) is going to provide a template for trauma PI nationwide in the future.
D. Networking
Highlights
1. Public Health
Preparedness / No Report
2. Office of Highway
Safety / M.S. Jones / The Office of Highway Safety issued a press release which shared national data stating that in 2007, Delaware had the 4th largest decrease in traffic deaths of all states. Also, seatbelt use in Delaware has gone up to 91%, the highest ever.
3. Injury
Prevention/
Coalition for
Injury
Prevention / M.S. Jones &
G. Corrigan / The TBI/SCI Prevention Team of the Coalition for Injury Prevention has developed a DVDpresentation on the program “Think First”, which was shown to attendees. The DVD will be going to all high schools in Delaware. The program will have a 5 question pre-test and post-test. Students will be asked to participate in the “Think First Multi-Media/Youtube Contest.” Students will develop 30 to 60 second PSA’s concerning Brain Injury. Prizes will be awarded in all three counties.
4. DE ACS-COT &
DE ATS Chapter / G. Tinkoff / No report, next meeting will probably be combined with the Trauma System Committee meeting.
5. DEMSOC/
OEMS / G. Tinkoff
D. Hainsworth / DEMSOC is not meeting over the summer. The next DEMSOC meeting is in September. Ambulance safety is high on the list of priority topics right now. Trauma System funding is low on that list. OEMS is entering into contract negations with CIRCO, the company that won the contract through the state RFP process, to plan the next generation of the EDIN system. Federal funds were used to fund this planning grant. Stakeholders will be offered interview opportunities to share their opinions with the vendor. The planning will focus on where EDIN is now, where stakeholders want it to be, and how best to get there.
6. EMS-C / M. Renzi / The 2008 Childhood Injury in Delaware report release is September 16 at 10:00 am at Delaware Tech Terry Campus. EMS-C is working on Pediatric Emergency Care Facility standards. They have also surveyed the fire departments for their need of pediatric equipment on ambulances and have purchased needed equipment such as infant blood pressure cuffs.
7. DPH Office of
Rural Health / No report
8. Brain Injury Association/
Traumatic Brain Injury / No report
Adjourn/
NextMeeting / Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 12:00, DPH Training Center, Suite 4F
I:\MARYSUE\Committees\TraumaSysComm\TSC Minutes August 27, 2008 rev3ms.doc -