World Trauma Congress: when dreams come true

Trauma is a major public health problem worldwide. More than 5 million people die every year as a consequence of traumatic injuries. This disease does not distinguish between developed or underdeveloped countries; it is a major challenge to modern societies. In many instances, injuries occur due to their responsible actions such as drug abuse, drinking and driving, etc. Interpersonal violence, suicides, and motor vehicle crashes, just to name a few of the more prevalent mechanisms of injury, require aggressive prevention strategies. Social and economic inequalities leading to hunger, lack of access to healthcare, limited education, and violence are common in many underdeveloped countries. In those locations, the impact of injury is even greater and trauma care is sometimes neglected or inexistent. Trauma systems and adequate trauma care led by trauma / critical care / acute care surgeons are needed to fight this epidemic disease. The involvement of other health care groups: nursing, technicians, physical and occupational therapy, nutritional specialists, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, social workers, and medical specialists are paramount to provide comprehensive care to the injured patient. Progress has been made recently in many parts of the world: systems are being developed, injury prevention and trauma care is being thought in many medical schools worldwide, professional organizations focusing on trauma care have grown in number, and some governments have been proactive in supporting and developing trauma systems. Bringing all professionals involved in trauma care together for a few days of productive discussions, education, collaboration and networking in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a dream coming true. Why have we decided to organize the World Trauma Congress (WTC)? First and foremost, because the concept of trauma as a disease must be disseminated globally. It deserves the same attention and investment in care, research, and prevention, as any other disease. The WTC will bring together different nations, professional organizations, health care professionals, and students to learn, discuss, debate, advance knowledge, and hopefully increase awareness about this devastating disease. Why have the WTC in Brazil under the auspices of the Brazilian Trauma Society (SBAIT)? In recent years, Brazil has experienced a marked economic growth and stability, despite the fact that many of the chronic social problems and inequalities still persist. The Brazilian government, aware of the crisis in emergency care and the importance of injury as a public health problem, took the lead and has proposed an ambitious plan to improve care in emergency departments by financing the development of a network of public hospitals which will care for medical emergencies as well as trauma. In addition, the pre-hospital system in Brazil is very well organized and widespread. However, many gaps still exist. There are no developed trauma systems in the country and hospitals caring for injured patients have no data collection tools (trauma registries) to measure their outcomes and to develop performance improvement initiatives. Furthermore, public hospitals are not always well equipped, care teams, in general, are not adequately trained beyond ATLS, post-injury rehabilitation in the public system is scarce, and injury prevention programs are almost nonexistent. SBAIT has been in the forefront of trauma education and is the representative of all trauma surgeons in the country. Why organize the WTC in Rio de Janeiro? This marvelous city under the protection of Christ the Redeemer (“CORCOVADO”) with his arms open 24 hours a day (just like on call trauma surgeons) is one of the symbols of this country. The city of Rio de Janeiro will be one of the sites of the 2014 Soccer World Cup and will host * Correspondence: [email protected] University of California, San Diego, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Coimbra et al. World Journal of Emergency Surgery 2012, 7(Suppl 1):S1 http://www.wjes.org/content/7/S1/S1 WORLD JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY SURGERY