Trauma Care Superior at BWHBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's HospitalTrauma Care Superior at BWHBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital

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Trauma Care Superior at BWH


From left, Kathleen Barber, RN, Neil Kosak, RN, James Watkins, MD, and Thomas Wilson, RN, discuss patient care on Tower 7D.

After an extensive two-day review, the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma lauded BWH as a provider of “superior trauma care” and re-verified the hospital in June as a Level 1 Trauma Center for Adults.

“It is reassuring to know that if and when injuries occur, BWH has an effective multidisciplinary program in place to maximize the chances for survival and for complete recovery,” said Jonathan Gates, MD, director of the Trauma Center. “This is a testament to the dedication of the all the personnel involved in the care of the trauma patients. It is truly an honor to be a small part of such a wonderful program.”

Nearly 1,500 trauma and burn patients were admitted to the hospital last year, and approximately 8,500 injured patients were treated in the Emergency Department. With expert staff supporting 600 critical care and intermediate care beds and 40 OR suites, BWH is able to provide top-notch care for this patient population.

“The physicians, nurses and other health care professionals on the trauma team are experts in caring for patients and are supported by sophisticated technology to provide the highest level of care possible,” said Yvonne Michaud, MSN, RN, interim Trauma and Burn program manager. “Our staff are highly experienced, ensuring our trauma patients progress patients through the system quickly and receive excellent care as their conditions improve.”

During the triennial reverification, two surgeon reviewers visited all clinical inpatient areas, the ED, the OR and Recovery and talked with hospital leadership and representatives from Nursing, Radiology, Anesthesia, Neurosurgery, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation Services and the Blood Bank, among others.

In order to be verified as a Level I Trauma Center, hospitals must have 24-hour in-house coverage by general surgeons and prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine and critical care. Other capabilities include cardiac, hand, microvascular surgery and hemodialysis.