Database Analysis Suggests That Many Trauma Transfers Are Avoidable

Transfer of trauma patients from one emergency department (ED) to another is costly, inconvenient, and subjects the patient to the risks of motor vehicle transport. Investigators analyzed government data from six states, including all visits with an ED-to-ED transfer and a diagnostic code indicating injury.

They identified almost 50,000 visits with transfer to another ED. Fewer than half (22,000) of transferred patients were transferred to a higher level of care (i.e., a trauma center). Of transfer patients, 36% were discharged from the receiving facility without being admitted or undergoing any therapeutic procedure (including laceration repair; wound care; fracture reduction, casting, or splinting; intubation, mechanical ventilation, or ce…