title: The need for a robust 24/7 subspecialty "clearing house" response for telementored trauma care.
abstract: Traumatic injury is increasing in importance in all settings and environments worldwide. Many preventable deaths are from conditions that are common and treatable. However, as potentially lethal injuries often induce progressive and frequently irreversible physiologic decline, the timing of interventions is critical. Invasive treatments may need to be offered by prehospital care providers who lack extensive training and practice. Telementoring allows experienced experts to guide less experienced providers remotely using information technology (IT). Early experience has shown that these techniques are practical and considered valuable. Their translation to regular practice, however, will require the immediate availability of appropriately trained remote experts willing to serve as mentors. Acute care trauma specialists are acclimatized to responding to out-of-hospital consultations and assuming overall responsibility for critical physiology and transport and may serve as the backbone of such a national/ international call response initiative.
authors.affiliation: The Regional Trauma Services, the Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. and the Canadian Forces Health Services.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
authors.affiliation: The Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Atla.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: The 1 Canadian Field Hospital, Petawawa, Ont. and the Trauma Program, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Que.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.affiliation: The Rocky Vista School of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, Colo.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: LaPorta
authors.affiliation: The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, Ont.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brien
authors.affiliation: The Trauma & Combat Medicine Branch, Surgeon General's HQ, Israel Defense Forces, Ramat Gan, Israel.
authors.forename: Elon
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Glassberg
authors.affiliation: The Regional Trauma Services, and the Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Chad G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.affiliation: The Regional Trauma Services, and the Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Derek J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: The Canadian Forces Health Services, the 1 Canadian Field Hospital, Petawawa, Ont., the Trauma Services and the Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Medical Centre, Toronto, Ont.
authors.forename: Homer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tien
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D013038:Specialization; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*