A trauma center is a facility that provides resources and specialized medical services to patients with traumatic — and oftentimes life-threatening and disabling — injuries. This treatment is proven to reduce the chances of permanent disability and death for the injured patients.
The main difference between a regular hospital and a trauma center is the latter’s requirement for a team of health care providers trained in specialty care to be available 24/7. These providers must have expertise in treating traumatic injuries and often include nurses, radiologists, cardiac surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and trauma surgeons. Trauma centers often require specialty resources to be available 24/7 as well, such as a pharmacy, blood bank, diagnostic testing, laboratory testing, an operating room, and a trauma resuscitation area within the emergency department.
While trauma centers are often located within hospitals, their services are purely supplementary — they are not meant to replace the emergency department or other traditional hospital services.