Bryan Trauma Program History
In 1978, James Styner, MD, Paul Collicott, MD, general and peripheral vascular surgeon, and other interested physicians started discussing the idea of a fully integrated trauma center at then-Lincoln General Hospital. Two years earlier, Dr. Styner, his wife and four children had been in a plane crash; sadly his wife died. But the survivors received their life-saving care at Lincoln General, which spurred the idea for a trauma program.
By June 1981, Lincoln General Hospital had a verified Level II Trauma Center which continues at Bryan Medical Center West Campus today.
Along with developing a successful trauma system for southeast Nebraska, the Trauma Center is committed to advancing the care of critically injured patients outside of the state.
Because of the Styner family's experience, Drs. Collicott and Styner led a committee of Lincoln physicians who developed the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course, which was adopted by the American College of Surgeons in 1979 as a trauma educational program for physicians. This course remains the leading educational program used to train physicians in the key concepts of assessment and stabilization of critically injured patients. Today the course is taught internationally in more than 63 countries.
Trauma Registry
Bryan developed the first Trauma Registry in Nebraska in 1985. It is a comprehensive data collection system comprising information from more than 25,000 trauma patients at Bryan. This information includes demographics, injuries, treatments, complications, outcomes and follow-up.
The registry tracks trauma trends over time and provides data to the National Trauma Data Bank for research projects in trauma care. Trauma professionals use registry information to develop patient care standards and direct performance improvement initiatives, to create education programs for the public on safety and injury prevention, and to impact legislation.
Trauma Performance Improvement Program
An important role of a Trauma Center is to ensure that trauma patients continue to heal and recover. The Trauma Registry provides data that is used within the Performance Improvement Program to evaluate the care given.
A team of trauma professionals meets regularly to review the quality of care and identify issues that affect patient care. Once these issues are identified, the team develops recommendations, which may include creating educational programs and treatment guidelines and protocols based on current trauma research and practice.
If you would like information on the Trauma Performance Improvement Program, contact Whitney Rahe, RN Trauma Performance Improvement Coordinator at 402-481-4078.
Trauma Outreach and Injury Prevention Program
The Trauma Prevention and Outreach Program at Bryan Health is dedicated to preventing and reducing injuries through the strength of community partnerships. We work with our partners to provide injury prevention programs and education to improve safety for all ages.
To learn more about our injury prevention programs, visit
Injury Prevention or
Stop the Bleed.You may also contact our Trauma Outreach and Injury Prevention Coordinator at 402-481-4178.
