The potential for essential trauma care to empower communities and tackle inequities.
In an attempt to address rapidly increasing injuries in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), the Essential Trauma Care Project was started with the goal of standardizing trauma care systems. This project, although part of "vertical" essential health services, has the potential to strengthen the health care system as a whole and to empower communities. Improved diagnosis, triage, referral, communication, and transport benefit the integrated health care systems weakened by vertical approaches. This project mobilizes existing resources, including lay people, to establish a "local model of prehospital care," which can raise community capability and foster trust in health systems. This article describes how this project can be an intersection between vertical and horizontal approaches.
Nakahara
Shinji
S
Department of Preventive Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1 Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 216-8511, Japan. snakahara@marianna-u.ac.jp
Ichikawa
Masao
M
Kimura
Akio
A
Yoshida
Katsumi
K
D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D003422:Critical Care; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D014194:Traumatology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*