[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] The Korean Trauma Program Managers Council has officially launched to improve the quality of care for severe trauma patients in South Korea and strengthen the capabilities of trauma specialists. Kim Hyo-seon, a trauma program manager at Incheon Regional Trauma Center at Gachon University Gil Hospital, was elected as the council's first chair.
The Korean Trauma Program Managers Council held its founding ceremony and an academic seminar on the current state and future direction of the domestic trauma quality management system on the 18th at Lotte Hotel Busan, with officials from regional trauma centers nationwide, the Korean Society of Traumatology, and the National Emergency Medical Center in attendance.
Trauma program managers and trauma coordinators are key positions within trauma centers. They monitor the treatment process for trauma patients and oversee quality management, data analysis, training for trauma specialists, and overall administration.
In advanced trauma countries such as the United States, they play an important role in determining the level of a trauma center. In South Korea, however, critics have long pointed to a lack of systematic networks and institutional support.
The launch of the council was aimed at strengthening the domestic trauma system and building a close network among 21 institutions, including regional trauma centers, severe trauma training centers, and Armed Forces Trauma Centers.
Going forward, the council plans to carry out a wide range of activities, including research on job standardization, development of training programs to enhance expertise, improvement of data reliability in the trauma registry system, policy proposals related to trauma care, and stronger efforts to build and evaluate quality management systems.
Kim, who was elected as the first chair on the day, joined Gachon University Gil Hospital in 2001 and worked as a nurse at the regional emergency medical center. Since 2009, she has served as a trauma coordinator at the Severe Trauma Specialized Center and played a central role in the opening of Incheon Regional Trauma Center in 2014, the first of its kind in South Korea.
In her inaugural remarks, Kim said, "To raise the survival rate of severe trauma patients, not only the efforts of frontline medical staff but also the role of systematically managing the trauma care process is essential. Taking the launch of this council as an opportunity, I will do my utmost to raise the quality of trauma care in South Korea and strengthen expertise."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
