Sec.19a-177-1. Definitions

As used in section 19a-177-1 to 19a-177-9, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies:

(1) "Department" means the Department of Public Health;

(2) "EMS Advisory Board" means the advisory committee on emergency medical services established pursuant to section 19a-177(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(3) "Glasgow Coma Scale" or "GCS" means a standard and generally accepted scoring system for assessing a patient's level of consciousness based on eye opening and response, verbal response, and motor response. The higher the total point score, the better the patient's neurological status;

(4) "Hospital" means an acute care hospital having facilities, medical staff and all necessary personnel to provide diagnosis, care, and treatment of a wide range of acute conditions, including injuries;

(5) "Protocol" means a written instrument that guides the collection of data regarding the patient, provides for actions to be taken based on the collected data, and provides for a minimum level of safe practice in specific situations;

(6) "Trauma" means a wound or injury to the body caused by accident, violence, shock, or pressure, excluding poisoning, drug overdose, smoke inhalation, and drowning;

(7) "Traumatic brain injury" means damage to the brain tissue and any combination of focal and diffuse central nervous system dysfunction, both immediate or delayed, at the brain stem level and above. Such damage and dysfunctions are sustained through the application of external forces including, but not limited to, blows to the head, falls, vehicular crashes, assaults, sports accidents, intrauterine and birth injuries, and violent movement of the body. Such damage and dysfunctions are not developmental or degenerative, and not associated with aging;

(8) "Trauma facility" means a hospital that has met the requirements as prescribed in section 19a-177-4 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and has received such designation from the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) in accordance with section 19a-177-3 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;

(9) "Trauma registry" means a statewide data base to provide information to analyze and evaluate the quality of care of trauma patients and includes all admitted trauma patients, all trauma patients who died, all trauma patients who are transferred, and all traumatic brain injury patients.

(10) "Trauma system" means an organized approach to providing care to trauma patients that provides personnel, facilities, and equipment for effective and coordinated trauma care. The trauma system: identifies facilities with specific capabilities to provide care, triages trauma victims at the scene, requires that all trauma victims be sent to an appropriate trauma facility, and collects and analyzes data for evaluation of the system. The trauma system includes prevention, prehospital care, hospital care, rehabilitation, data collection, and evaluation; and,

(11) "Verification" means a review process carried out in accordance with section 19a-177-4 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(Adopted effective March 22, 1995; Amended September 6, 2005)