As a Level III trauma center, Blount Memorial's emergency department meets the highest standards for critical care

What's the difference between an emergency room and a trauma center? While both essentially perform the same function, trauma centers are required to meet more stringent standards for assessing and treating critically injured patients.

Here's a basic overview:

Emergency Rooms

Typical emergency rooms have a broad scope of practice, which include treating heart attacks, chest pain, asthma, minor cuts, bone sprains and fractures, allergic reactions and gastrointestinal bleeding. If surgery or critical care is required, patients are transferred to another department or, in some cases, to another hospital.

Emergency rooms basically function as a referral service to other departments. After initial evaluation, the decision is made to admit the patient to the hospital, treat the patient before sending him or her home, or transfer the patient to a more-specialized department or facility.

Trauma Centers

At trauma centers, emergency departments go above and beyond standard emergency room capabilities. Trauma centers are required to offer multiple specialties including general surgery and orthopedic services, and rapid or immediate responses to major injury patients.

Trauma care begins in the emergency department and often progresses through to recovery. Level I trauma centers provide the most comprehensive critical care. Services in these centers may include pre-hospital care, resuscitation, operative care, critical care, acute recovery, discharge planning and rehabilitation, long-term follow-up and functional recovery.

To learn more about the Level I, II and III Tennessee trauma centers and the services provided at each, click here.

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