Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Mar 26;51(1):151.
doi: 10.1007/s00068-025-02827-5.

Networking between hospitals

Klaus Wendt  1 , Frank Hildebrand  2
Affiliations
Review

Networking between hospitals

Klaus Wendt et al. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. .

Abstract

Not all hospitals have the resources to manage trauma patients, which is why many countries have introduced trauma systems to connect hospitals within specific regions. When definitive care cannot be provided at a hospital, the patient should be transferred to the closest appropriate facility with the necessary resources and capabilities. Telecommunication is a critical tool for data exchange (e.g., imaging) and multidisciplinary consultations. Ideally, a unified telecommunication system should be implemented across all hospitals in a network, with the long-term goal of nationwide or even European-level standardisation. While criteria for onward transfer vary slightly between trauma systems across countries, they can be adapted to meet the needs of any healthcare system. Decisions regarding patient transfer should be based on objective, prospectively agreed criteria. In addition, a common European trauma registry is essential to evaluate quality of care.

Keywords: ESTES; Polytrauma; Whitebook.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. American College of Surgeons. The Committee on Trauma. Advanced Trauma Life Support®. Student Course Manual. 10th ed. Chicago: American College of Surgeons; 2018.
    1. Fletcher B, et al. Analysis of an American college of surgeons committee on trauma (ACS-COT) approved pilot project: increasing provider communication during interhospital transfer. J Trauma Nurs. 2000;7(2):51–6. - PubMed
    1. Nori L, Bradley N, et al. Data capture and communication during transfers to definitive care in an inclusive trauma system. Injury. 2017;48:1069–73. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Latif R, et al. Telemedicine and telepresence for trauma and emergency care management. Scand J Surg. 2007;96(1):31–7. - PubMed
    1. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie. Weißbuch Schwerverletztenversorgung. 3rd ed. Berlin: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie; 2019.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources