title: Sustaining an inclusive trauma system in a rural state: the role of regional care systems, partnerships, and quality of care.
abstract: Different approaches exist for developing inclusive trauma systems with a regional system approach. The purpose of this article is to describe a sustainable and replicable structure for developing a trauma system with urban and rural environments. A relatively new trauma system is presented to show (1) how rural health networks and relationships can support rural trauma system development; (2) how partnerships help to support trauma system development; and (3) how the trauma system infrastructure has used assessment and assurance strategies to support regional systems of care to foster optimal care of the trauma patient.
authors.affiliation: Bureauof Surveillance and Epidemiology, Kansas Trauma Program, Kansas Department ofHealth and Environment, Topeka, KS 66612, USA. dvernberg@kdheks.gov
authors.forename: Dee Katherine
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Vernberg
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Rotondo
mesh_terms: D016529:Emergency Nursing; D006752:Hospital Planning / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007615:Kansas; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*