Baidu Maps app helps severely injured find trauma centers
China Daily
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The first conference of the Chinese National Center for Trauma Medicine kicked off in Beijing, on Oct 17, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Trauma patients in China can get quicker and better medical treatment now that they can find the nearest trauma center through an application.

Patients can type in "trauma center" in the Baidu Maps app and the nearest hospitals with trauma centers will appear.

"The establishment of the trauma center map aims to take advantage of information technology to serve patients and save more lives", said Mao Qun'an, director of the National Health Commission's Department of Planning on Saturday.

The trauma map is one of the achievements jointly made by many domestic centers, such as the Chinese National Center for Trauma Medicine.

Statistics show there are 62 million trauma patients in China annually, and the death toll reaches as high as 800,000. Trauma is the number one killer of people under the age of 45 in China.

Led by Peking University People's Hospital, the Chinese National Center for Trauma Medicine was established in September 2019.

Jiang Baoguo, president of Peking University People's Hospital, speaks at the conference in Beijing, on Oct 17, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to Jiang Baoguo, president of Peking University People's Hospital, the core problems of trauma treatment in China are multiple transferring, a lack of medical experts specializing in trauma treatment, and the trauma treatment system.

In 2019, the center established a national trauma treatment system that covers 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the country, and built nine trauma treatment training bases.

"We have built a model utilizing the existing medical facilities and staff that suits the Chinese condition, and the cost is low," Jiang said.

Under the Chinese National Center of Trauma Medicine, there are three commissions: organ protection commission, brain trauma commission and medical quality control commission.

"We hope that public hospitals in China will achieve high-quality development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25). In addition to the national trauma center, we also are planning to set up a national chest pain center," said Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission.