In 2005, CDC’s Injury Center updated its research agenda to clearly state its highest priorities in the area of acute care research and to focus on research that will ultimately make a difference in improving acute injury care systems and the care individuals receive when they are injured. To this end, the Injury Center awarded four new research grants for fiscal year 2006-2007. Researchers receive approximately $400,000 each for three years to explore methods of improving care for the acutely injured. Those projects are described here.

Nancy Kassam-Adams
Joseph Stokes, Jr. Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Project Title: Stepped Preventive Care to Reduce the Impact of Acute Pediatric Injury
One in six children with unintentional injuries develop persistent, impairing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but most go undiagnosed and untreated. To address effects of unintentional injuries and their emotional impacts, this study will evaluate the impact of an intervention on PTSD and depression symptoms; evaluate the impact on health outcomes; and provide preliminary data to inform cost-effectiveness analyses.

Ellen J. MacKenzie
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Project Title: Improving Trauma Outcomes: A Patient-Centered Approach
Despite substantial improvements over the last two decades in the organization and delivery of trauma care, severe injuries often result in poor long-term functional outcomes for working-age individuals. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the American Trauma Society’s Trauma Survivor Network (TSN) and the effectiveness of the TSN Program in improving primary, secondary and intermediary outcomes for trauma patients.



James Frederick Holmes
University of California, Davis
Project Title: Clinical Decision Rule to Identify Children with Intra-abdominal Injuries
Trauma is the leading cause of death in children. Intra-abdominal injuries (IAI) are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality due to trauma. Some IAIs are difficult to identify and failure to identify these injuries results in preventable deaths and disabilities. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) is the reference standard for the diagnosis of IAIs. CT scanning, however, has important risks, primarily the risk of development of radiation-induced malignancy. The objective of this study is to develop highly sensitive, specific and generalizable decision rules for the evaluation of children with blunt abdominal trauma who are seen in emergency departments. These decision rules may then serve to generate evidence-driven guidelines for the evaluation of these children, resulting in more efficient use of CT scans.

E. Brooke Lerner
University of Rochester
Project Title: Evaluation of the Mechanism–of-Injury Component of the Trauma Triage Criteria
Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers must appropriately identify which patients will benefit from the special resources of a trauma center. This requires them to have evidence-based trauma triage tools. This study examines the most commonly used tool, the American College of Surgeon's Field Triage Criteria. Specifically, the mechanism-of-injury component of the Criteria will be evaluated to determine which conditions are predictive of trauma center need.

Learn more about CDC-funded injury research at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/erpo/default.htm