In-house trauma attendings: is there a difference?

Introduction Outcomes of patients who met trauma activation criteria were examined before and after implementation of in-house attending call. Materials and Methods Outcomes for the out-of-house period (OH) (February 1, 2001 to October 31, 2002) were compared with the in-house period (IH) (November 1, 2002 to June 30, 2004). Measures included overall mortality, length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department, and preventable deaths. Results A total of 2,019 trauma activations were studied (1,036 OH, 983 IH). The groups were equivalent on admission. There was no difference in hospital LOS, ICU LOS, ventilator days, or overall mortality. Preventable deaths occurred in 8.1% of the OH group and in 1.0% of the IH group (P < .02). Conclusions Aggregate statistics and the use of surrogate markers to determine outcomes may not accurately portray the impact of attending surgeons on the quality of care. Implementation of in-house call resulted in a decreased incidence of preventable deaths.