JAMA Surgery: Teletrauma Use in Emergency Departments
Nearly 30 million predominantly rural US residents lack timely access to trauma care expertise available at level I or II trauma centers. Telehealth is an established approach to improve access to health care expertise using remote consultation. This survey study found that teletrauma use lagged significantly behind use of other telehealth services in US EDs in 2020. While most EDs using teletrauma were located in rural areas, there was significant state-level variation in teletrauma use. Future research is needed on how teletrauma is being used and to identify barriers to its wider implementation.