EMS and Trauma Care Clinical Guidelines

More EMS Resources

The Washington State Department of Health distributes these guidelines on behalf of the Governor's Steering Committee on Emergency Medical Services and Trauma. The purpose is to help Washington hospitals and trauma care services address critical illness, burn and trauma.

The department doesn't mandate the use of these guidelines. We recognize that the availability of resources varies, and that what works for one facility may not work for another. Hospitals and physicians should evaluate the content of these guidelines to determine the potential benefits for their own practices or for any particular patient. The decision to use these guidelines depends on the independent medical judgment of the physician. We recommend that facilities and physicians who choose to use these guidelines consult with the department regularly for any updates to their content.

We adapted these guidelines from professional literature and standards. The steering committee and the Department of Health's Office of Community Health Systems endorse them. We haven't tested or validated the guidelines.

The department would appreciate any feedback about experiences with the guidelines. Please call 360-236-2800 with any response you would like to provide.

Acute Care Guidelines

• Cervical Spine Injuries (PDF)
• Geriatric Trauma Care Guideline (PDF)
• Geriatric Trauma Management Guidelines, American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program, Revised April 2015 (PDF)
• Evaluation and Management of Blunt Abdominal Trauma (PDF)
• Head Injury in Anticoagulated Patients Guideline (PDF)
• Initial Management of Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury (PDF)
• Interfacility Transport Guideline (PDF)
• Initial Management of Major Pelvic Fractures (PDF)
• Major Burn Resuscitation (PDF)
• Massive Transfusion for Trauma (PDF)
• Minor Burn Care (PDF)
• Pediatric Transfer Guidelines (PDF)
• Traumatic Brain Injury Care Guideline (PDF)
• Trauma Team Activation Criteria (PDF)
• Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral (SBIR) Guidelines (PDF)

American College of Surgeons Trauma Practice Guidelines

• Acute Pain Management in Trauma Patients (PDF)
• Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, and Intimate Partner Violence (PDF)
• Geriatric Trauma Management (PDF)
• Imaging Guidelines (PDF)
• Management of Orthopedic Trauma (PDF)
• Management of Traumatic Brain Injury (PDF)
• Massive Transfusion in Trauma (PDF)
• Palliative Care (PDF)

Prehospital Trauma Triage Destination Procedure

State of Washington, Prehospital Trauma Triage (Destination) Procedure (PDF) (also known as the Trauma Triage Tool)

Rehabilitation Guidelines

• Autonomic Dysreflexia (PDF)
• Brain Injury (PDF)

Trauma Quality Improvement Guideline and Toolkit

Trauma QI Guideline (PDF)

Toolkit

• Appendix A WA CQI Model PDF)
• Appendix B Trauma QI Plan Example (Word)
• Appendix C Chart Audit Tool (Word)
• Appendix D Audit Filter Exampes (PDF)
• Appendix E Audit Filter Summary Example (Excel)
• Appendix F Quality Measures Example (Excel)
• Appendix G Levels of Review (PDF)
• Appendix H Action Plan Examples (PDF)
• Appendix I QA Tracking Instructions (PDF)
• Appendix J QI Summary Template (Word)
• Appendix K Trauma Quality Meeting Attendance Tracker (Excel)
• Appendix L Undertriage and Overtriage Calculation (PDF)
• Appendix M PDSA QI Example (PDF)
• Appendix N QI Case Summary Example (PDF)