Award Title: NIHR Trauma Management MedTech Co-operative (short name: NIHR Trauma MedTech Co-operative)
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Trauma remains the leading cause of death in the Western World, and it is predicted by the World Health Organisation that death due to injury is set to rise globally from 1.3 million in 2004 to 2.4 million in 2030. Around 90% of trauma related deaths occur before the patient reaches hospital, yet this is the toughest area to make technological advances in. Trauma is the leading cause of death and disability in children of <1 year of age, with this significant incidence sustained as children grow. In the UK alone, 80% of children s injuries are caused by blunt trauma, a physical injury to part of the body.  Head injury is present in the majority of cases and accounts for 75% of deaths.   The remit of the proposed NIHR Medtech and In vitro diagnostic Co-operative in Trauma Management (MIC) is to support the research of new medical devices and healthcare technologies in order to enable improved management of the trauma care pathway from the point of injury through to stabilisation and recovery. The MIC will have a national remit and will be hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust which is a UK Major Trauma Centre, home to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, and a Regional Burns Centre. New technology will be key to improved survival and reducing long-term disability. The MIC will address this in its three clinical themes; 1) Immediate response to injury at the scene and hospital stabilisation; 2) tissue repair and surgical reconstruction and; 3) re-enablement and rehabilitation. The anticipated benefits of the proposed MIC include early detection of deterioration, reduced mortality and morbidity following trauma, reduced pain and suffering, reduced length of hospital stay, reduced time to maximum recovery, reduced long term dependency and enhanced patient experience.   The MIC will use lessons learnt from the military and civilian populations and will work in collaboration with clinical and other health care professionals, patients and patient groups, charities, industry and academic researchers to deliver its aims. The short-term aims will be to identity the unmet needs in Trauma through supporting local and national projects in close working with clinicians and patient groups. In the medium-term we will build a national network to prioritise the clinical needs and look for matching potential solutions from industry and academic researchers to address the need. We will fund some initial pilot projects to produce the preliminary findings for larger scale research studies.  Subject to satisfactory outcomes and health economic evaluation, we will facilitate new technology into usable clinical products.  Long-term, we will develop a programme of activity with a measurable impact on patient care and clinical outcomes. The main success criteria will be the numbers of newly adopted medical technologies that benefit trauma patients within the NHS. Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation, and Patient Reported Outcomes activities will play a central role, in collaboration with industry, in identifying what matters to patients, and other end-users of technology, and where industry may wish to focus research development efforts.

Lay Abstract: Trauma remains the leading cause of death in the Western World, and it is predicted by the World Health Organisation that death due to injury is set to rise globally from 1.3 million in 2004 to 2.4 million in 2030. Around 90% of trauma related deaths occur before the patient reaches hospital, yet this is the toughest area to make technological advances in. Trauma is the leading cause of death and disability in children of <1 year of age, with this significant incidence sustained as children grow. In the UK alone, 80% of children s injuries are caused by blunt trauma, a physical injury to part of the body.  Head injury is present in the majority of cases and accounts for 75% of deaths.   The remit of the proposed NIHR Medtech and In vitro diagnostic Co-operative in Trauma Management (MIC) is to support the research of new medical devices and healthcare technologies in order to enable improved management of the trauma care pathway from the point of injury through to stabilisation and recovery. The MIC will have a national remit and will be hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust which is a UK Major Trauma Centre, home to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, and a Regional Burns Centre. New technology will be key to improved survival and reducing long-term disability. The MIC will address this in its three clinical themes; 1) Immediate response to injury at the scene and hospital stabilisation; 2) tissue repair and surgical reconstruction and; 3) re-enablement and rehabilitation. The anticipated benefits of the proposed MIC include early detection of deterioration, reduced mortality and morbidity following trauma, reduced pain and suffering, reduced length of hospital stay, reduced time to maximum recovery, reduced long term dependency and enhanced patient experience.   The MIC will use lessons learnt from the military and civilian populations and will work in collaboration with clinical and other health care professionals, patients and patient groups, charities, industry and academic researchers to deliver its aims. The short-term aims will be to identity the unmet needs in Trauma through supporting local and national projects in close working with clinicians and patient groups. In the medium-term we will build a national network to prioritise the clinical needs and look for matching potential solutions from industry and academic researchers to address the need. We will fund some initial pilot projects to produce the preliminary findings for larger scale research studies.  Subject to satisfactory outcomes and health economic evaluation, we will facilitate new technology into usable clinical products.  Long-term, we will develop a programme of activity with a measurable impact on patient care and clinical outcomes. The main success criteria will be the numbers of newly adopted medical technologies that benefit trauma patients within the NHS. Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation, and Patient Reported Outcomes activities will play a central role, in collaboration with industry, in identifying what matters to patients, and other end-users of technology, and where industry may wish to focus research development efforts.

Research Activity Codes: 5.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT);6.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT EVALUATION)
Health Categories: RESPIRATORY;INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS