Specialist Trauma Advisory Network (STAN)

Specialist Trauma Advisory Network (STAN) is a network of physician specialists involved in the provision of trauma care from across British Columbia. STAN engages and guides clinicians in the care of severely injured patients to ensure optimal management of major trauma in the province.

STAN convenes Specialist Advisory Groups (SAGs) of physician representatives from across Regional Health Authorities to:

Recommend preferred clinical management of key major injuries,
Oversee focused areas of system performance, and
Advise on specialty-related issues related to trauma.
STAN was established by Trauma Services BC in 2016 with the support of the Specialist Services Committee (SSC).

Read our Trauma Clinical Practice Guidelines:

Go to Trauma Care Clinical Practice Guidelines

Key outputs of STAN

Clinical Practice Guidelines

These evidence-informed and consensus-based CPGs provide practical guidance for clinicians in trauma centres across B.C. The CPGs aim to address practice variation and foster collaboration between specialists.

Access CPGs here.

Data-driven performance monitoring

SAGs identify clinical indicators most pertinent to management of major injuries to oversee system-level performance and locate gaps in the surgical trauma care continuum. Data is collected via the Trauma Information Management System and accessible to the Specialist Advisory Groups members on demand.

Patient transfer guidance

These destination guidelines help to ensure timely and appropriate transfer of critically injured patients and to encourage effective communication between clinicians at sending and receiving sites.

Advisory Group Leads

Brain Injury:

‎SAG lead: Mypinder Sekhon, MD (Vancouver General Hospital)

CPG: Traumatic Brain Injury

Medical Imaging:

SAG lead: Ken Wong, MD (Royal Columbian Hospital)

Provincial Imaging Guidelines for Major Trauma (Adults)

Orthopedic Trauma

SAG lead: Pierre Guy, MD (Vancouver General Hospital)

CPG: Pelvic Ring Injury (Adult)

Pediatric Trauma:

SAG leads: Robert Baird, MD (BC Children’s Hospital); Genevieve Ernst, MD (BC Children’s Hospital)

CPG: Blunt Splenic Injury (Pediatric) (forthcoming)

Plastic Surgery:

SAG lead: Ashley Tregaskiss, MD (Vancouver General Hospital)

CPG: Open Lower Limb Injury (Adult) (forthcoming)

Spine Trauma:

SAG lead: John Street, MD (Vancouver General Hospital)

CPG: Suspected or Confirmed Spinal Injury (Adult) (forthcoming)

Thermal Injury:

SAG lead: Anthony Papp, MD (Vancouver General Hospital)

CPG: Major burns checklist

Thoraco-Abdominal:

SAG lead: Michelle Goecke , MD (Vancouver General Hospital)

CPG: Major burns checklist

Reports

Key Injury Group reports

Note: the links below have restricted access. To request access, please contact stan@phsa.ca.

Key injury group summary report

Radiology Key Performance Indicators

Note: links below lead to content that is password protected.

Report definitions

Key Injury Group summary report

Provides data on all hospitalized (admitted to hospital) patients by Key Injury Group for each hospital in B.C. Intended to provide an overview of all hospitalized patients in B.C. that have certain injuries and the hospital that provided definitive care.

Repeat CT

Provides data on imaging patterns for all hospitalized (admitted to hospital) patients by Key Injury Group for each hospital in B.C. Displays volumes of patients with key injuries, those that had CTs done and the volume of repeat CTs within 24 hours, two days and seven days.

Concurrent CT

Provides data on imaging patterns for all hospitalized (admitted to hospital) patients by Key Injury Group for each hospital in B.C. Displays volumes of patients with CT scans by body region and those that also had radiographs, MRI or ultrasounds in addition to CTs. Concurrent imaging is counted within a specific time frame of the CT and only if it was performed in the same body region as the CT.

Data Dictionary

Read definitions for key injury groups and procedures in the truncated version of the May 2019 SSC-STAN Data Management Solution.

Contact & Support

Specialist Trauma Advisory Network can be reached by email at stan@phsa.ca.