ABSTRACT: Reducing disparities and achieving health equity are critical goals for the trauma community. Although significant advances have been made in short-term trauma outcomes, disparities persist across various dimensions including race, sex, gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. This manuscript represents a distillation of a panel discussion from the 2024 Western Trauma Association meeting that examined three under-recognized categories of trauma disparities beyond traditional demographic factors. First, sex-related disparities in motor vehicle crashes stem from crash test dummies designed primarily for male physiology. Second, financial toxicity and exploring the relationship between acute trauma, financial hardship, and long-term mental and physical quality of life. Third, geographic disparities create “trauma deserts” where disadvantaged populations experience prolonged transport times and reduced access to life-saving care. The panel explored opportunities within each to improve patient outcomes at the local, regional, and national levels. ( J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026;00:000–000. Copyright© 2026 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Murphy et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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