Trauma

The University of Alberta Hospital, Stollery Children's Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital are home to Capital Health's Regional Trauma Program. The hospitals are dedicated tertiary Trauma Centres for northern Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The Trauma Program provides comprehensive care to injured patients. Trauma patients may be transferred by air or ground ambulance to Trauma Centre emergency departments.

The Trauma Centres at Capital Health are dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care for patients' complex medical needs. The services include pre-hospitalized management and transport, acute care hospitalization, rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

The care of trauma patients also involves multiple health care services, such as Anesthesiology, General Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthopedics, Plastics, Radiology and Urology. Specialized multidisciplinary teams provide expert care to major and minor trauma patients. Staff and physicians participate in internationally recognized and certified Trauma Education Programs to keep up-to-date on the latest treatments, procedures and technologies in the area of trauma medicine.

The Alberta Trauma Registry operates within Capital Health. Since 1995, information on all severely injured trauma patients is entered into the Alberta Trauma Registry database. The database produces reports that include the numbers and types of trauma patients, and information on their care and outcomes. The Registry helps ensure the continued high quality of patient care, facilitates comparisons between regions and provinces, and helps with planning of injury prevention programs.

Capital Health also participates in community-based campaigns to promote safety and injury awareness. Staff and physicians provide training and education to the public about all aspects of injury control.