Development of statewide geriatric patients trauma triage criteria.

Introduction: The geriatric population is unique in the type of traumatic injuries sustained, physiological responses to those injuries, and an overall higher mortality when compared to younger adults. No published, evidence-based, geriatric-specific field destination criteria exist as part of a statewide trauma system. The Trauma Committee of the Ohio Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Board sought to develop specific criteria for geriatric trauma victims.

Creating a regional dental center serving six rural county health districts.

People with Medicaid or no dental insurance have a difficult time accessing dentists in private practice. The problem of access is more profound in rural than urban areas. Safety net dental clinics operated by small rural local health districts are difficult to start up, operate, and maintain.

Identification of an age cutoff for increased mortality in patients with elderly trauma.

Objectives: The chosen age cutoff for considering patients with trauma to be "elderly" has ranged from 55 to 80 years in trauma guidelines and studies. The goal of this study was to identify at what age mortality truly increases for older victims of trauma.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of the Ohio Trauma Registry, a statewide database of all injured patients who died or were admitted for more than 48 hours to both trauma and nontrauma centers.