ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the evolution of an ongoing research program that seeks to improve the communication-related aspects of trauma team function, interaction, and coordination for the ultimate outcome of increased performance and patient safety. The importance of efficient triage and treatment of trauma patients has been evident since the Napoleonic Wars when Larrey developed the ambulance volantes as a means of reducing the interval time from injury to treatment. The American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma defines rural as an area where geography, population density, weather, distance or availability of professional or institutional resources combine to isolate the trauma victim in an environment where access to definitive care is limited. We argue that most if not all of the issues and findings from the two studies reviewed in this chapter are not within a "context" such as health, organizational communication, or computer mediated communication.
