title: Health care as a social good: trauma care and the "kindness of strangers".
abstract: Urban trauma centers have been shown in the medical literature to be effective resources for dealing with traumatic injury in a manner which results in demonstrated increases in survival rates. Given that much debate exists over the relative efficacy of various technological medical interventions, the acceptance and diffusion of a "proven" technology, such as trauma centers, should be assured. Yet, the significant investment of resources required to staff, equip, and maintain a trauma center, coupled with a perceived fiscal deterioration of the provision of these services, has resulted in a retreat from the concept through closure of the services.
authors.affiliation: Tulane University, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Culbertson
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006271:Health Facility Closure; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D012945:Social Values; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000639:trends; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy