The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and many state systems have adopted a virtual site review process since the pandemic. There are pros and cons to this choice, but one of the most significant issues that is difficult to surmount is the physical plan walkthrough. It is typically done using one or more cameras connected to teleconferencing software, which tours various trauma-related areas in the hospital.

Unfortunately, this approach leaves the reviewers with an incomplete appreciation of the hospital layout. When it comes to moving trauma patients from the ambulance unloading area to various treatment areas, the mental picture the reviewers draw from the separate cameras doesn’t do justice to your hospital’s physical plant. It’s like trying to interpret a CT scan made of only six slices.

What can be done to remedy this? The easiest solution is to provide a map that the reviewers can refer to in advance. It should show the locations of the key areas that trauma patients visit (ED, CT, OR, ICU, blood bank) with the approximate distances listed. This simple tool will make the reviewers’ lives (and yours) much easier if you provide it in advance. They can then visualize the logistics at your center more easily.

Here is a sample map to give you an idea of how it might look. Just click the image to see a larger view.

Bottom line: To assist in the review process, provide a map of key areas of the virtual walkthrough. It should display those areas, and if not readily apparent, spell out the approximate distance from one to the other. There is usually no place to add this to the application, so you may need to send it to your reviewers separately.

Click here for my virtual video walkthrough best practices document