Global Trauma Care

Strengthening Global Injury Care Innovative Strategies and Sustainable Solutions

The impact of injuries is felt on every continent. Regardless of gender, race, or economic status, injuries remain a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for more than 5.8 million deaths each year.

However, injury deaths are only part of the picture. Millions more are injured each year and many are left with disabilities for the rest of their lives.

For those who are seriously injured, trauma care is critical not only to improving their chances for survival, but also for averting many lifelong injury-related disabilities and improving services provided to people with disabilities so they can engage more fully in daily life. However, currently, the vast majority of people across the globe have little or no access to an organized system of trauma care.

How are CDC and WHO Helping to Address this Problem?

A significant portion of the deaths and disabilities caused by injuries could be eliminated by improvements in trauma care, but there is often a sense that such improvements are too difficult, complicated or expensive to institute widely, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

With this is in mind, the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), responded by supporting countries in planning and setting up trauma care programs to strengthen their capacity to care for the injured. Through perseverance, detailed planning and organization, training opportunities, and a groundswell of commitment at the local, national, provincial or institutional levels, this collaboration is leading to improvements across the globe. Read the new Strengthening Global Injury Care fact sheet to learn about some of these activities in countries around the world. These examples focus on practical, affordable and sustainable efforts that help dispel the view that little can be done to improve trauma care, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Download a copy of Strengthening Global Injury Care Innovative Strategies and Sustainable Solutions [PDF 1 MB, 4 pages]