Violence and Injury Prevention

Essential trauma care project

WHO guidance documents such as Prehospital trauma care systems, Guidelines for essential trauma care, and Guidelines for trauma quality improvement programmes set reasonable, affordable and sustainable standards for the care of injured persons worldwide. They define a set of trauma care services considered essential to prevent death and disability in injured patients and that could be provided to almost all injured persons in any given setting. Furthermore, they define the resources necessary to apply these

The basic principles and methods proposed in the guidance documents have been implemented in several countries, including Ghana, India, Mexico and Viet Nam. These efforts have provided valuable lessons that are relevant for future actions to promote the recommendations contained in the guidance documents.