Strengthening Trauma Care Across Systems: A Step-Wise Approach to Developing Performance Improvement on a Regional Scale-Handout: Follow up Letters Templates

Handout: Follow up Letters Templates

Pdf Summary

The document provides a toolkit from TCAA Systems' Committee featuring various examples of follow-up letters related to trauma care and trauma system quality improvement, dated 2025. Included are templates for follow-up letters to EMS providers, hospitals (both when no opportunities for improvement are found and when opportunities exist), legislators, and for trauma data dashboards.

Key examples:

1. <strong>General Follow-up Letter</strong>: A letter template thanking care providers for trauma patient care, summarizing patient identifiers, case review outcomes, noting any improvements, and inviting contact for questions or support, emphasizing partnership and commitment to optimal trauma outcomes.

2. <strong>Hospital Follow-up with No Improvement Opportunities</strong>: Thanks the hospital for documentation, states no improvement needed after review, appreciates collaboration, and encourages ongoing partnership for high-quality trauma care.

3. <strong>Hospital Follow-up With Opportunities for Improvement</strong>: Acknowledges document submission, summarizes review findings, lists recommended improvements (education, guideline updates), requests loop closure documentation per regional requirements, emphasizes commitment to performance improvement and patient safety, and offers support.

4. <strong>Position Statement to Legislators on Mopeds</strong>: Describes mopeds as pedal cycles with small motors not classed as motor vehicles, lacking requirements such as licensing and insurance. Presents data showing high rates of alcohol involvement in moped crashes, injuries, fatalities, and license suspensions. Advocates recognizing mopeds legally as motor vehicles with registration, insurance, driving restrictions on higher-speed roads, and safety measures such as helmet use, protective clothing, and high visibility gear to reduce mortality.

5. <strong>Trauma Dashboard Data Follow-up</strong>: Letter accompanying quarterly or annual trauma data reports comparing center-specific data to regional data, offering interpretation meetings and ongoing education opportunities, and thanking hospitals for quality care.

Overall, the toolkit aims to standardize communication within trauma systems to facilitate continuous quality improvement, regulatory compliance, data sharing, and policy advocacy to improve trauma patient outcomes and safety in the community.

Keywords

Trauma care

Follow-up letters

Quality improvement

EMS providers

Hospital communication

Legislative advocacy

Moped safety

Trauma data dashboard

TCAA Systems

Trauma system toolkit