ABSTRACT
Modern pediatric trauma care, like adult trauma care, has undergone constant evolution during the past generation, since the care of injured children first emerged as a distinct discipline. This chapter describes the current state of the art with respect to pediatric trauma system design. It discusses the public health approach to trauma and emergency medical services (EMS) systems and reviews the literature supporting the need for and components of pediatric-capable trauma and EMS systems. The chapter describes the critical elements of prehospital care for the pediatric trauma patient, to arm not only pediatric-capable trauma professionals, but also adult-oriented trauma professionals-who, of necessity, provide the majority of pediatric trauma care in the United States, with a working knowledge of pediatric trauma system design and function, to ensure, insofar as is possible, that every child in every community has the benefit of optimal pediatric trauma prevention and treatment, hence the greatest possible opportunity for relief, recovery, and rehabilitation.
