Emergency & Trauma Services

Emergency & Trauma Center
Adult & Pediatric Trauma Services
Aeromed: Regional Aeromedical Transport Program
Florida Poison Information Center - Tampa

Over 84,000 patients were treated in Tampa General Hospital’s Emergency & Trauma Center last year. As a Level I Trauma Center, TGH is equipped to care for the most critically ill and injured adult and pediatric patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Tampa General's Emergency &Trauma Center, has six trauma rooms, one dedicated to pediatric patients, 66 treatment rooms and two operating rooms. The Center has areas dedicated to minor emergency and chest pain and stroke. In addition the Emergency & Trauma Center has a dedicated pediatric emergency care center, including its own pediatric waiting area. Our multi-system trauma program and state-licensed stroke center have received disease-specific certification from The Joint Commission. Our team of dedicated emergency care professionals provides patients with the highest quality of care. Click here to take a virtual tour of the TGH Emergency & Trauma Center.

Click here to learn what to expect during your ER visit.

Adult & Pediatric Trauma Services

Tampa General Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center. This means that a trauma team is in the hospital 24 hours a day and is able to respond to the most severely injured adult and pediatric patients immediately. Surgeons are available around the clock, as well as specialty services such as: maxillofacial, plastics/burn, orthopedics, anesthesiology, neurosurgery, radiology, internal medicine and critical care. TGH is required to have a research and education program for trauma, and to see a certain number of trauma patients each year. Level I trauma centers are also required to be pediatric trauma centers. Pediatric trauma patients admitted to Tampa General are cared for in our Children’s Medical Center.

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has been a trauma center since 1985, and is the only level I trauma center in West Central Florida providing treatment to adults and children with critical injuries. TGH’s level I trauma center for adults and children is the first and only program in Florida to achieve verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for the quality of its trauma care. A review team from the ACS, consisting of nationally recognized experts in trauma care, performed an in-depth, on-site assessment of every aspect of TGH’s trauma program. The ACS recognizes Tampa General’s level I trauma center for its dedication to providing optimal care for adults and children, as well as its demonstrated commitment to education, research and community outreach.

Providing care for adult and pediatric trauma patients requires the collaboration of physicians, nurses, and specialized services. Our multidisciplinary team is committed to providing excellent and compassionate care to all victims of trauma. With our partners at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, we work to optimize patient care, education, and continued performance improvement. Tampa General Hospital’s state-verified trauma program proudly maintains Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification in Multi-System Trauma and Orthopedic trauma.

Trauma care requires a system-wide approach to care for the individual trauma patient. Trauma care begins with injury prevention and continues through the hospital stay and beyond.

The Trauma Center Team

Mission

The regional trauma center at Tampa General Hospital provides the residents of West Central Florida with comprehensive and compassionate trauma care with its multispecialty care model. TGH serves as a focal point in community education for trauma system development, injury prevention and disaster response.

Goals

• Provide superior interdisciplinary care for every adult or pediatric trauma patient
• Ensure appropriate therapies and follow-up care for every adult or pediatric trauma patient
• Provide educational resources and prevention strategies for the public and healthcare workers in the region
• Participate in research that will provide direction for evidence-based adult and pediatric trauma care
• Work to improve processes and meet the highest national standards for adult and pediatric trauma care

Frequently Asked Questions about Trauma Services Frequently

• Why is a trauma surgeon seeing me?
  Your care team members are selected to meet your specific needs. A trauma surgeon may be assigned to your care plan depending upon your injuries. Specialty surgeons, such as neurosurgeons or orthopedic surgeons, may also be assigned to your care depending on the site of your traumatic injuries. The trauma program is required to have a trauma surgeon available 24/7 to address emergent surgical injuries.

• What is a trauma nurse practitioner, physician assistant or mid-level provider?
  The trauma program has designated nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide nursing and medical services to individuals, families and groups throughout the hospital and in clinic settings. These mid-level providers emphasize health promotion and disease prevention as well as diagnosis and management of acute and chronic diseases. They are able to work independently as well as in collaboration with a variety of individuals to diagnose and manage patients’ health care problems. More specifically, the mid-levels coordinate the physician, nursing, and support services for trauma patients while also providing direct nursing and medical services.

• What is a trauma nurse clinician?
  The trauma program has designated trauma nurses to assist the trauma team in the coordination of nursing and support services necessary to care for trauma patients throughout their hospital stay. These clinicians work closely with the trauma program nurse manager, chief of trauma surgery, administration, and clinical services to ensure adherence to trauma program standards. The trauma clinicians provide clinical and systems oversight of trauma patients at TGH that ensure provision of efficient, quality care. More specifically, the trauma clinicians coordinate nursing and support services for trauma patients by collaborating with many disciplines.
  
  The trauma clinicians are also responsible for organizing hospital-wide trauma education and coordinating performance improvement activities.
  
  

• What is the difference between a level I and a level II trauma center?
  
  • maxillofacial
  • plastics/burn
  • orthopedics
  • anesthesiology
  • neurosurgery
  • radiology
  • internal medicine
  • critical care

They are also required to have a research and education program for trauma, and to see a certain number of trauma patients each year. Level I trauma centers are also required to be pediatric trauma centers. At a level II trauma center, the trauma team is not necessarily in the hospital, but can quickly be called to the hospital to see patients. Level II centers are not required to have all specialties available and are not required to have research and education outreach programs.

For more information about Tampa General Hospital’s Trauma Services, please contact the TGH Trauma Office at (813) 844-7968.

Tampa General Hospital transports critically ill or injured patients from 23 surrounding counties aboard our five aeromedical helicopters that are equipped with the most advanced life support equipment.

A specialized team from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit travels aboard Aeromed to transport critically ill newborns to TGH.

Public Notice of The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) accreditation site visit click here.

Florida Poison Information Center - Tampa is staffed by nurses, pharmacists, and physicians trained in toxicology. Based on years of toxicology experience and a computerized database describing over 500,000 substances, they provide free confidential 24-hour emergency advice in cases of exposure to poison for over 40,000 poisonings per year.

In addition, the center provides poison education and materials for the public as well as healthcare professionals and performs poisoning surveillance and reporting. Certified as a Regional Poison Center by the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the center provides coverage for six million residents in central and southwest Florida and is primarily funded by grants from the Florida Department of Health, Children’s Medical Services, and U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration. Visit their Web site at www.poisoncentertampa.org.