Continuum of Care

Once at The Rees-Jones Trauma Center at Parkland, our patients receive care and support from initial incident through all the steps of recovery. 

Our staff work together to make patient care from injury to recovery a seamless journey - a continuum of care for both injured person and their family.

Continuum of care means that we provide optimal care for each person's injury but also to provide psychosocial support for the injured person and their family through all phases of care from to recovery and the transition back into to a healthy, active life.

Initial care team

How we work behind the scenes is a process designed to better help our patients by making sure you get critical care delivered safely and that all your needs are met.

When a patient is brought to The Rees-Jones Trauma Center, they are assessed and triaged by their physiological response to injury and the severity of injury. The trauma surgeons and trauma nurses are the primary team responsible for the surgical evaluation, nursing care and plan of medical treatment. 

These trauma surgeons and nurses work as a collaborative team to meet the needs of the injured patient and their family. This team communicates with other medical disciplines participating in care of the injured patient and provides oversight in care. This includes the deciding when to use diagnostic evaluation, like CT scans or Xrays, and in what order to provide different pieces of the care plan, called the sequencing of care. 

The whole patient

The following day, the trauma surgeons and trauma nurses visit all patients admitted to the hospital and review the treatment provided and care plan. Together, they set each patient’s priorities, decide what tests are needed, what steps to take towards going home and how we can help the family too. The goal is to provide a seamless system of holistic care that meets the medical, cultural and social needs of the patient and family.

Discharge planning conference

We believe in a team approach to our patients’ care. When time for a person to leave the hospital, members of the trauma team hold a discharge planning conference to determine what our patients and their families need to continue a healthy recovery. The conference allows input from all aspects of a patient’s needs, such as pharmacy, social services, nutritional services, rehabilitation, psychosocial needs, pastoral care and ongoing care coordination.