Trauma Team Activation Criteria Effectiveness for the Management of Geriatric Patient Fall Injuries

Abstract

Falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly, yet standardized trauma activation guidelines for this population remain lacking. This study analyzed trauma activation criteria for geriatric patients (>65 years) at a level 1 trauma center, focusing on overtriage and undertriage rates. A retrospective review of 500 patients assessed activation levels, discharge outcomes, and ICU admissions. Overtriage, defined as discharge home post-activation, occurred in 18.5% of lower-level activations, compared to 3.7% in non-activations and 10.7% in higher activations. Undertriage, defined as ICU admission or mortality despite low or no activation, was observed in 29% of non-activated patients and 45.6% of lower-level activations. These findings highlight significant gaps in current triage practices, emphasizing the need for improved, standardized activation criteria to optimize resource allocation and outcomes for the growing geriatric trauma population.