Conference Proceedings for the 2024 Design for Implementation: The Future of Trauma Research and Clinical Guidance Conference Series.

Abstract

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for individuals aged 1-45 in the USA. Variations in patient management based on geographic locations, community resources, and provider characteristics contribute to disparities in patient outcomes. It is estimated that 20,000 Americans lives could be saved yearly if all trauma centers performed as well as the highest-performing center, which is achievable, in part, through the reduction of inappropriate practice variation. Trauma clinical guidance currently lacks standardization, is redundant, and remains difficult to access and implement at the bedside. To explore and address these issues, the Design for Implementation: The Future of Trauma Research and Clinical Guidance (DFI) Conference Series was developed. This conference series and complementary research aims to redesign the development, dissemination, and implementation of trauma clinical guidance with a focus on more effective and equitable systems. To do so, key community partners were convened to present clinical guidance best practices, including digital integration, resource stratification, and patient-centeredness. Conference attendees, which included partners from various provider groups, patients, dissemination and implementation scientists, public health experts, government agencies, and software developers, worked together to create a "minimum viable product" which specified key objectives for an ideal future state of trauma clinical guidance, as well as the "risk", "audience", and "key performance indicators". The next conference in the series will take place in February 2025, with a focus on translating the conceptualized priorities into tangible solutions. This paper serves to share the events from the 2024 conference proceedings.