Study: Lack of Guidelines could Mean unnoticed Neck Injuries at half of Trauma Centers

Nearly half of all hospitals in California capable of handling trauma patients don’t follow national evidence-based guidelines used to prevent doctors from missing neck injuries before discharging patients, according to a study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The study, which was published in the February issue of The Spine Journal, reviewed the protocols for “clearing” patients with trauma, such as from a car crash or a fall while at work. The clearance process involves taking steps to make sure that a patient doesn’t have a neck i...