In my opinion, board certification is the most obvious objective marker of a surgeon's or physician's ability to provide quality care. I am based at Inova Fairfax Hospital, where I am chief of the Trauma Service and also provide general surgery services. Our service saw over 2,400 trauma patients in 2000. We are the busiest trauma center in the Washington, DC area. If you mean before I see the patient, then it would be to make sure that my group and I are qualified to provide top-notch care.
Trauma care requires a carefully orchestrated multidisciplinary effort to assure optimal outcomes.
We have developed guidelines specifically for different patient groups to help us rapidly diagnose life-threatening conditions. Blood work for assessment of extent of bleeding and ability to clot blood as well as oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream. Special catheters inserted into the abdomen to test for blood. Monitoring catheters inserted into the bloodstream and guided to the heart to measure pressure and function of the heart and lungs. As a Level 1 trauma center, we have the ability to diagnose and treat all conditions resulting from injury.