Rigshospitalet hires trauma manager

Rigshospitalet’s Trauma Centre and Acute Admissions has hired Denmark’s first medical Trauma Manager to ensure even better treatment than today.

In order to improve the quality of treatment for trauma patients, as the first hospital in Denmark Rigshospitalet has employed a trauma manager to ensure that patients receive the best treatment in an optimal course.

Inspiration from the US
Rigshospitalet’s Trauma Centre and Acute Admissions aims to be at the leading edge; also internationally. This requires innovation and new initiatives. Large trauma centres in the US have a trauma case manager, who helps identify the broader perspectives in overall management of the seriously injured.

“This model will now be implemented and used in a Danish context. My job will be to ensure the best course of treatment for the individual trauma patient. A challenging task, which I look forward to carrying out with colleagues from the many specialities involved with the Trauma Centre and Acute Admissions; from the basement and all the way up to the 16th floor”, says Jacob Steinmetz, Consultant, PhD and now Trauma Manager.

Will use data in new contexts
Jacob Steinmetz has more than 10 years’ experience as a clinical anaesthesiologist and profound experience from working in acute medical ambulances and from working in admissions of seriously injured at Rigshospitalet’s Trauma Centre and Acute Admissions.

“Rigshospitalet is already benchmarking results of work on the seriously injured in the Trauma Centre and Acute Admissions with foreign trauma centres, and we have an impressive international ranking. However, the same data can be incorporated and used in other and new contexts, for example in teaching, were we can focus on interesting cases and use the most recent documented knowledge," Jacob Steinmetz says.

"In Denmark we are privileged with regard to gathering and processing data, because the unique Danish Civil Registration System enables us to follow a patient over time. Therefore I am certain that we already have data available which can be used in new and different contexts, and I hope we can also contribute to new Danish and international knowledge about admission and treatment of the seriously injured.”

Jacob Steinmetz starts his new job as a Consultant and Trauma Manager in the Trauma Centre and Acute Admissions on 1 January 2011. He will be spending half his time at the Department of Anaesthesiology in the Centre of Head and Orthopaedics, where he is currently Senior House Officer.