Pediatric trauma.

Injured children require an organized team approach to provide the best possible care. To accomplish this, physicians in all specialties must be knowledgeable about prevention strategy, patterns of injury, and state-of-the-art treatment techniques. Improvements are still needed in several areas including vehicular restraint systems and bicycle helmet regulations. Rehabilitation services are currently inadequate to meet many of the needs of the children and their families when disabilities are permanent. Unless efforts to improve these deficiencies are continued, the tragedy of childhood injury will not diminish. Physicians who care for children have a responsibility to help decrease the incidence of trauma in their area and to help improve the management of the injured child to assure the best potential outcome.