SMH Nationally Recognized for Elder Trauma Care

Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s trauma team was recently honored for overall excellence in caring for seriously injured patients, and specifically for preventing life-threatening complications among elderly trauma patients. 

SMH’s trauma center program was spotlighted at the American College of Surgeons’ 2019 Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) Annual Scientific Meeting in Dallas Nov. 16-18. More than 1,500 trauma medical directors, program managers, coordinators, and registrars, attended the event to learn from the experiences and best practices shared by leading trauma directors across the nation, including SMH Trauma Medical Director Alan Brockhurst, MD.

In a keynote presentation, Dr. Brockhurst provided an overview of Sarasota Memorial’s trauma program, clinical outcomes and process improvement measures used to manage more than 3,500 seriously injured patients treated at SMH each year. He leads a multi-disciplinary team comprised of highly trained trauma surgeons, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, case managers, pharmacists, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, mental health professionals and other support staff who work together to research and provide the latest evidence-based care.

Among other quality indicators, SMH was recognized for its exceptionally low mortality rate – less than half of the National Trauma Data Bank benchmark (2015-2019). SMH also demonstrated superior performance in reducing or preventing major complications: acute kidney injury; adult respiratory distress syndrome; cardiopulmonary arrest; central line-associated bloodstream infection; deep/organ space surgical site infection; acute myocardial infarction; pressure ulcer; pulmonary embolism; severe sepsis; cerebral vascular accident; unplanned return to the operating room; unplanned admission to intensive care unit; and ventilator-associated pneumonia. 

Dr. Brockhurst attributed Sarasota Memorial’s superior outcomes to the support of the hospital’s leadership team and diligence of the entire trauma team. 

“I could not be prouder of our trauma team,” Dr. Brockhurst said. “Their hard work and dedication is making a meaningful and life-saving impact in the lives of people every day. We would not be able to do what we do without the resources and support from our CEO, David Verinder, the Hospital Board, and administrative leadership. Our recognition as one of the nation’s preeminent trauma centers is a reflection of their investment in and commitment to this community.”