Acute Injury Care

The care of the acutely injured is a public health issue that involves bystanders and community members, health care professionals, and health care systems. It encompasses prehospital emergency medical services; emergency department assessment, treatment, and stabilization; and in-hospital care surgery and medical management among all age groups. The importance of acute injury care became increasingly clear in the aftermath of the events of 9/11 and subsequent mass casualty events.

Because CDC recognizes that injuries continue to occur, despite our best efforts at prevention, the Division of Injury Response (DIR) at CDC’s Injury Center seeks to improve outcomes for those who have survived severe injuries and to improve acute injury care practices. To meet this challenge, DIR works with national and international organizations spanning the continuum of injury prevention and acute injury care, including those responsible for emergency medical services and emergency medicine and trauma surgery, other public health organizations, other federal agencies, and the corporate sector.