The role of trauma team leaders in missed injuries: does specialty matter?

Background: Previous studies have identified missed injuries as a common and potentially preventable occurrence in trauma care. Several patient- and injury-related variables have been identified, which predict for missed injuries; however, differences in rate and severity of missed injuries between surgeon and nonsurgeon trauma team leaders (TTLs) have not previously been reported.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on a random sample of 10% of all trauma patients (Injury Severity Score [ISS] > 12) from 1999 to 2009 at a Canadian Level I trauma center.