Trauma Center Research Support

Research ... you love it or loathe it. But at a Level I trauma center, you must do it. That's where Diligent Consulting can help. Whether your program is looking to advance to Level I and needs to build a research program from scratch or your Level I trauma center received a deficiency in research, Diligent Consulting has the experience and expertise to help you build a solid research infrastructure that is engaging, productive, and sustainable.

Trauma research requires long-term engagement by a core team of individuals at the trauma center, including trauma surgeons, trauma nurses, residents and medical students, and research support staff. A trauma center must be continuously initiating research projects and generating research publications, as each research study takes an average of 12-18 months to move from study design through publication.

As consultants, we recognize that our involvement is not permanent. We can provide the structure and organization to start the research process, but our approach ultimately works directly with hospital staff to build the infrastructure for a sustainable research program. This involves the development of a research culture led by the trauma program. We have first-hand experience in watching how the quality of trauma care is escalated when trauma surgeons and other staff grow in their research involvement and begin applying research findings to their clinical practice.

Who Is This For?

Trauma center research support is ideal for:

Hospitals planning to pursue Level I trauma designation within the next 2-5 years
Hospitals moving from state-designated Level I to ACS-verified Level I and need to add a research program
Trauma programs with new leadership and/or poor research engagement
Trauma centers with provisional designation or deficiencies specifically related to trauma research

What Is Included in Trauma Research Support Consulting Services?

Consulting services for trauma research support cover a focused set of activities need to build a strong research program and achieve maximum research productivity. These services typically include:

Gap Analysis

We will help your trauma program and research department leadership assess current research infrastructure capabilities in the areas of IRB approval, statistical analysis, writing, and fees for open-access journals. The purpose is to understand what support is available through your hospital and/or health system.

Brainstorm Partnerships

We will help identify any and all possible sources of research partnerships, including physicians already engaging in research, physicians who have relationships with other trauma centers or are connected to research opportunities in their residency/fellowship training programs, medical schools and local colleges looking for research involvement opportunities, and nurse research opportunities.

Establish a Research Plan

We will begin drafting a research plan to achieve publication goals by estimating the amount of time required for each phase of research and building a sequential process to maximize productivity. This also includes initial brainstorming of potential research ideas, identifying aspects of your trauma center that are unique (and potentially lead to a niche for research), and inventorying ideas of interest.

Launch Research Program

It is time to get the program off the ground and get started! The initial projects may feel awkward as we work to build a new process and educate research collaborators to their roles. The goal is to launch the first few research studies and start building research skills in your local team.

Conduct Research Study and Write Results

In the world of Level I trauma verification, a research study only matters if it is written and published in a peer-reviewed journal. We will work with individuals on your team who have skillsets in statistical analysis and/or writing, or we can add those support services to our consulting contract and provide those services for you.

Mentorship and Guidance

We know how to get research done and we know what slows research down. We will mentor your researchers, step in to stop lines of work that will not lead to publishable results, and guide your team through the authorship and publication process.

Our Trauma Consulting Process

Building a trauma research program from scratch requires a minimum of 2 years. Each paper is expected to take 12-18 months, and the trauma program must have 10 papers accepted or published when they submit materials to the ACS prior to the verification survey. Our consulting partnership may require a long-term arrangement or an initial influx of resources. Understanding the typical steps involved in trauma research support clarifies how consulting services add value:

Assess current research capabilities and partnerships at your hospital and within your broader network (hospital system, physicians' training programs, residency programs, local colleges and medical schools).
Build a sustainable trauma research program infrastructure (staff, budget, resident involvement, physician involvement, etc.) that satisfies ACS requirements.
Collaboratively develop and execute a research implementation plan and timeline to achieve 10 publications every 3 years. Assist in assembling or supporting the core research team, including medical writing and statistical support (if needed).
Identify and launch research projects/papers and advise on study design, IRB protocols, statistical analysis, technical writing, authorship, and publication.
Mentor researchers to curb research ideas that may not be publishable and to recognize study design flaws that must be resolved to ensure publication of papers.

What Are Some of the Challenges of Trauma Research?

Even for seasoned trauma program leaders and researchers, it is a huge lift to build a new trauma research program. Each step takes longer than expected, especially when working with staff who have other responsibilities and no time reserved exclusively for research.

Factors Out of Your Control

The absolute hardest and most frustrating part of research is that the end product (publication in a peer-review journal) is largely out of your control. You cannot dictate the outcome of submission (accept or reject), how long the review process will take, or whether the journal will ultimately accept the paper. It may require submissions to multiple journals before you are accepted.

Other Clinical Priorities

Most of the time, especially in community hospitals, physicians and staff will not have dedicated time for research. Their primary responsibilities are clinical and participation in research may be voluntary or extra-curricular. This makes it challenging to conduct research in a timely way.

Data Challenges

There are two primary sources of data: retrospective (using data that already exist) and prospective (collecting data for your research project). Retrospective data may be flawed, incomplete, or fail to include key variables required for study analysis. Prospective data requires patient consent, staff trained and available to receive patient consent, and specific data collection methodologies that preserve HIPPA and respect patients' medical conditions.

Regulatory Delays

Most data collection will require approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Not all hospitals have an IRB and IRB approval processes can take a long time. Your project will be heavily scrutinized and the application may require multiple revisions to ensure patient well-being is protected. These safeguards are necessary but can slow study initiation and execution.

Funding and Resource Constraints

Trauma research can become an unfunded mandate. Without a dedicated budget for staff, equipment, software, and publication fees, you may have operational demands that make research even more difficult.

How Can Diligent Consulting Help?

Organizations that invest in expert consulting will when establishing their trauma research program will end up with a more efficient and more productive research process. Reach out today if you want to chat about this some more!