As an advocate for trauma systems and the care of the trauma patient, the ATS participates actively in shaping sound public policy in healthcare and the trauma industry.

The position statements below are an explanation, a justification or a recommendation for a course of action that reflects ATS’s stance regarding the concern. The development process for position statements initially involves a consensus-building approach and internal deliberation by the Legislative and Policy Committee. A draft of the proposed position statement is then posted on ATS’s website, for public comment. Following public comment the statement is revised if necessary and reviewed by the ATS Board of Directors for their approval. This process allows each and every member to voice their views and opinions on the various dimensions of the issue at hand.  Position statements expire or are retired by the organization when appropriate.

The links below lead to summaries of each position statement; in all cases, the full text is available for downloading.

ATS archived position statements are available here.

2024-01 Workplace Violence in Trauma Centers

Abstract: In 1966, the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council published ‘Accidental Death and Disability: the Neglected Disease of Modern Society’ which served as a national call to action to address the apparent public apathy towards the devastating and unnecessary toll that injury was taking on America. This white paper recommended the establishment of a National Trauma Association to drive public demand for injury prevention and mitigation. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma heeding that call, founded the American Trauma Society (ATS) in 1968. Since its founding and with a mission of ‘Save Lives. Improve Care. Empowering Survivors’, the ATS has had a 56-year legacy of service to improve trauma care by providing professional and public education, advocacy for injury and violence prevention, and attending to the unique needs of trauma survivors and their families.

As a focus of the ATS’s advocacy efforts, the ATS’s Legislative and Policy Committee (LPC) formulates the organization’s legislative goals and strategy by reviewing proposed legislation and regulations that may favorably or adversely affect trauma professionals, and disseminating key information as position statements to the membership and public for edification and/or action. In accordance with this effort, the ATS has partnered with the Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open to publish these important collaborative endeavors. For this inaugural publication of an ATS position statement, the topic we chose is workplace violence (WPV) in trauma centers. A work group of the ATS’s LPC reviewed current literature gathered from a variety of organizational and agency sources addressing safety and protection of healthcare providers from WPV including federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives. Based on the work groups review, we provide eight recommendations regarding the prevention, mitigation, or handling of WPV. We also review and discuss best practices and risk mitigation strategies, providing a listing of them in an accompanying appendix. Free access of "Workplace violence in trauma centers: an American Trauma Society Position Statement" is now available in Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open here.

2023-02 Hospital Based Injury and Violence Prevention Programs

Injury and violence have a significant impact on the health and well-being of the U.S. population and are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. In 2­­­021, 224,935 people were killed by unintentional injuries; an additional 48,183 persons died by suicide and 26,031 persons died by homicide in the United States. Non-fatal injuries affect millions more Americans who are left with life-changing mental, physical and financial challenges. The cost of injuries and violence in the U.S. is staggering. The 2019 cost of injury in the U.S. was $4.2 trillion, accounting for total lifetime medical, lost work productivity, as well as estimates of cost for lost quality of life and lives lost. These substantial costs, both human and financial, drastically underscores the importance of Injury and Violence Prevention Programs (IVPP) as a cost-effective measure to reduce injury. (click here to see more)

2023-01 Impacts of the COVID 19 Pandemic on Trauma Care

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 and quickly disrupted the entire healthcare system. We identify three prominent components of the trauma care system that were greatly affected by the pandemic and present actionable steps stakeholders can take to prevent another long-term regression of services, safeguard the sustainability of trauma care systems, and ensure trauma survivors are fully supported. (click here to see more)

2022-01 Firearm Violence

Firearm violence is a major national emergency and a public health crisis. The American Trauma Society (ATS) believes it is time for all, including our legislators, to get involved, advocate for new research into this problem, and work towards a shared resolution of this national issue. Expressing our grief and outrage alone has not been an effective tactic for change. We must be proactive instead of reactive, avoid assigning blame, and join together to meet this challenge. Our response must be consistent and continuous until we see an end to the violence. 

The ATS issued statements on firearm violence in 2013 and 2018. Unfortunately, we are in a position not only to re-issue the initial recommendations, but to expand them to reflect the evolution of the issues and the multi-faceted nature of the situation before the nation. We understand the issues we face today as Americans are more than just about firearms, and our recommendations were developed with that premise in mind. (click here to see more)

2021-01 Optimal Trauma Care is Achieved Through Structured Systems

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, injuries and violence are leading causes of death for children and adults ages 1 - 45 in the United States. Non-fatal injuries affect millions more Americans who are left with life-changing mental, physical and financial challenges.  The total estimated lifetime medical and work loss costs associated with fatal and non-fatal injuries in the United States is $671 billion per annum¹. On a national scale, traumatic injury continues to be a leading cause of death for all age groups.  Trauma teams utilize evidence-based care practices for optimal preservation of life and improved outcomes. Receiving care for a severe injury at a designated/verified trauma center is shown to lower the risk of death by 25 percent ^2,3.

( click here to see more)

2020-01 Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

For the past 50 years, the American Trauma Society (ATS) has served as an advocate for physical trauma care systems, trauma prevention programs, and survivors of traumatic injury and their families throughout the United States. Our goals are to prevent injury whenever possible, and to promote optimal treatment of trauma when it does occur. We recognize that excellent trauma care is dependent upon a trauma system free from racial and cultural discrimination. It requires a coordinated, multidisciplinary, holistic approach to the care of each and every trauma patient. The survival of our patients is dependent upon the trauma system to make clinical decisions in the most competent and equitable manner possible.

(click here to see more )

2019-03 Geriatric Injury Prevention

Geriatric trauma represents the relative influence of injury as an external stressor on the aging body culminating in falls and other injuries that present at trauma systems across the United States (US). As the population ages, and increasing numbers of older adults are living longer, health care providers and hospitals are challenged to address geriatric trauma and associated issues. In 2015, costs of fatal and non-fatal falls exceeded $600 million and $30 billion respectively. Stakeholders for geriatric trauma include: pre-hospital providers, hospitals, post-acute care facilities, professional organizations, family and in-home caregivers, and the public-at-large. Geriatric trauma imposes a significant financial cost to patients and healthcare systems, and social/emotional implications for patients and families.

(click here to see more)

2019-02 Suicide Prevention

Suicide in the United States is a major public health issue resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and life-threatening and debilitating injuries annually. The increase in suicide attempts and deaths affects all trauma care providers. The American Trauma Society (ATS) recommends a call to action from the trauma and healthcare community in order to destigmatize, improve screening, promote healthcare and public education, and develop research and effective prevention strategies aimed at combating this public health problem. Recent increases in suicide and suicide attempts in children and in health care professionals are especially concerning and warrant additional prevention efforts.

(click here to see more)

2017-01 Comprehensive Trauma Survivor Support (Currently Under Revision)

Each year trauma accounts for 41 million emergency department visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions across the nation; approximately 20-40 percent of these survivors experience high levels of post traumatic stress disorder and/or depressive symptoms. The American Trauma Society believes that comprehensive patient centered trauma care includes a commitment to systematically addressing trauma survivors’ psychosocial needs both in the hospital and during recovery, and the implementation of peer support programs connecting patients and families to each other...(click here to see more)

2016-1 Trauma Registry (Currently Under Revision)

Trauma Registrars/Data Analysts have traditionally been the data backbone of any successful trauma program. Trauma Registrars provide the trauma data necessary to support daily functions of the trauma program, accreditation/verification, performance improvement and research activities......(click here to see more) 

ATS Comments: Dockets, Proposed Rulemaking, and Sign-on Invitations

FCC PS Docket No. 18-64 Location Based Routing for Wireless 9-1-1 Calls (February 2023)