HealthManagement, Volume 14 - Issue 1, 2014

Author

Section Editor-in-Chief - IMAGING
Prof.
Lluís Donoso Bach

Worldwide, emergency and trauma cases account for a large proportion of patients presenting at hospital. The World Health Organization estimates that injuries account for 9% of deaths. Clearly there is still much that can be done to improve outcomes in emergency and trauma, and our cover story considers some of the organisational issues. In the United States, for example, research has shown that receiving care at a Level I trauma centre can decrease the risk for death among seriously injured patients by 25 percent (Mackenzie et al. 2006).

 

Emergency depar tments may also cater for primary care needs. In the USA, it is expected that emergency department usage will increase following implementation of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). In trauma centres, the expertise of emergency radiologists undoubtedly contributes to multidisciplinary expertise in the emergency room. Teleradiology also has a contribution to make to emergency radiology. Dr. Arjun Khalypur writes about the pros and cons of emergency teleradiology on page 19. We also interview Dr. Emanuel Rivers, a leading intensive care specialist, about the model of care whereby critical care is brought to the emergency room, not only improving patient outcomes, but reducing healthcare costs. Interventional radiology has many applications in emergency care, which are outlined by Ciara Madden in our Interventions section on page 48.

 

In the UK, Nor thumbria NHS Healthcare Trust is building a new specialist emergency care hospital, the first purpose-built emergency care facility in the UK. We interview Project Director Dr. Birju Rana on page 16.

 

ECRI’s top 10 health hazards list for 2014 features several that are of concern to radiologists. We go behind the headlines on page 52.


Our Management Matters section focuses on building a culture of excellence from the ground up. Alicia Campbell, director of a new healthcare pavilion in North Carolina discusses the key steps taken to hire and create a team and instil a culture of excellence and accountability.

 

HealthManagement is a journal devoted to interdisciplinary working. We are pleased to include an interview with Prof. Andrew Jones, President of the British Institute of Radiology, the oldest radiological organisation in the world, which thrives on its multidisciplinar y membership.

 

This month we prepare to meet in Vienna at the European Congress of Radiology, 6-10 March. I hope to see you at the Management in Radiology session on Saturday 8 March, when experts from around the world will be presenting on topics relevant to radiology leaders and managers. Please see page 62 for a preview of ECR highlights.



References:

MacKenzie EJ, Rivara P, Jurkovich G, et al. A national evaluation of the effect of trauma-center care on mortality. N Engl J Med 2006;354(4):366–78.