'Preventable Trauma Mortality Rate' Decreases from 19.9% to 15.7% in 2 Years

Ministry of Health and Welfare, Improvement in Trauma Patient Care System
Operating 17 Trauma Centers Nationwide by the End of This Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] South Korea's 'preventable trauma mortality rate' significantly decreased from 19.9% in 2017 to 15.7% in 2019. Compared to 30.5% in 2015, it is about half the level.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 1st that, as a result of a nationwide investigation of patients who died from trauma, the preventable trauma mortality rate in 2019 decreased by 4.2 percentage points compared to 2017.

The preventable trauma mortality rate refers to the proportion of deaths among trauma victims who, if transported to a hospital capable of providing appropriate treatment within an adequate time, were estimated to have survived after receiving treatment. Since 2015, the Ministry has conducted related nationwide surveys every two years. In this third survey, 1,002 trauma deaths registered in the 2019 National Emergency Medical Information Network were sampled and analyzed.

According to the analysis, when the country was divided into five regions, the preventable trauma mortality rate decreased in all regions. In particular, Seoul showed the greatest improvement, with the preventable trauma mortality rate dropping from 30.2% in 2017 to 20.4% in 2019, a decrease of 9.8 percentage points.

In the Gwangju, Jeolla, and Jeju regions, the rate decreased from 25.9% in 2017 to 17.1% in 2019, down 8.8 percentage points. The Incheon and Gyeonggi region improved from 16.7% to 13.1%, the Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, and Gyeongsang region from 16.0% to 15.5%, and the Daejeon, Chungcheong, and Gangwon region from 15.0% to 14.7%, respectively.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare cited the full-scale operation and expansion of regional trauma centers specialized in treating severe trauma patients, the government's focused support, and overall improvements in the emergency medical system as the background for the continuous improvement in the preventable trauma mortality rate. Starting with three centers in 2014, a total of 15 regional trauma centers have been operating as of 2021, with two more trauma centers currently preparing to open. In Seoul, various projects such as securing trauma patient priority beds at the National Medical Center (10 intensive care beds and 30 inpatient beds) and expanding support for trauma subspecialist training institutions are analyzed to have had an impact.

To improve conditions at severe trauma treatment sites, the government announced the 'Severe Trauma Treatment System Improvement Plan' in March 2018. Following this, it has promoted strengthening on-site trauma treatment education, developing Korean-style trauma treatment guidelines, establishing a joint multi-agency helicopter utilization system, and pilot projects to build regional trauma systems considering regional characteristics. Related budgets of 44 billion KRW in 2017, 60.1 billion KRW in 2018, and 64.6 billion KRW in 2019 have been invested.

Expanding personnel wage support for regional trauma centers and establishing trauma-related fees to support the sound operation of trauma centers have also been analyzed as factors contributing to the improvement in the preventable trauma mortality rate.

Park Hyang, Director of Public Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "Thanks to the dedication of medical staff at regional trauma centers and various emergency medical workers who have done their best to treat patients under difficult conditions, the preventable trauma mortality rate is improving." She added, "We will promptly establish a nationwide specialized severe trauma treatment infrastructure, including the opening of the Seoul Regional Trauma Center (National Medical Center) in the second half of this year, and continuously improve the trauma treatment environment at medical institutions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.