EDITORIALS
easily obtained during the ED visit. The National Agenda calls for a minimal data set to be created so that data linkage can be promoted.
Emergency physicians can play an active role in community education about injury prevention, the cost of injury to society, how to access the medical system, and how to respond to an emergency. First responders and EMS personnel need training in injury control, acute care, mechanisms and patterns of injury, and the value of accurate data. Other physicians need learned advice and counsel about the issues of trauma care and what role they may play in the developing agenda. Discussions and presentations of trauma systems, the cost of injury, and the fundamentals of injury control must be integrated into medical schools, residency programs, and annual meetings. Emergency physicians must use their administrative skills and medical knowledge to strengthen EMS systems, coordinate use of regional resources, and build medical and community coalitions. Emergency medicine as a specialty must continue its leadership role in the development of trauma systems, but more importantly, it must engender and support a legion of knowledgeable delegates who can shoulder the responsiblity of today and envision the world of tomorrow.