Current status and future prospects of trauma centers in Korea

The government has implemented a regional trauma center project since 2012 with the goal of reducing the preventable trauma death rate in Korea to the level of developed countries. Regional trauma centers should organically cooperate with the government and the Korean Surgical Society to ensure that seriously injured patients are treated at regional level 1 trauma centers and to lead quantitative and qualitative growth with the aim of ensuring leadership within the regional trauma system. We expect that the finances of trauma centers will stabilize and that the role of trauma centers will become more mature by readjusting medical fees to a realistic level and expanding the scope of treatment to include acute care surgery. These efforts will ultimately reduce the preventable trauma mortality rate in Korea.