Less Than 1 in 10 Trauma Patients Who Could Have Survived: Preventable Trauma Mortality Rate Falls to Single Digits for the First Time

Ministry of Health and Welfare Reports 9.1% Preventable Trauma Mortality Rate in 2023
Dramatic Improvement from 30.5% in 2015
Economic Value of Regional Trauma Centers Estimated at 3.5 to 19 Trillion Won

Since the implementation of the severe trauma care system, the proportion of trauma deaths that could have been prevented with appropriate treatment has entered single digits for the first time.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on January 14, 2026, that the "preventable trauma mortality rate" for 2023 was recorded at 9.1%. This figure represents an improvement of 4.8 percentage points compared to the 2021 survey (13.9%), and more than a threefold improvement compared to the first survey conducted in 2015 (30.5%).

The preventable trauma mortality rate refers to the proportion of trauma deaths that are judged to have been potentially survivable if the patient had received appropriate treatment within an appropriate timeframe. This is a key indicator that comprehensively evaluates the accessibility, timeliness, and expertise of the trauma care system. Since 2015, the Ministry has conducted nationwide research every two years.

According to the survey, the preventable trauma mortality rate has shown a steady decline, dropping from 30.5% in 2015 to 19.9% in 2017, 15.7% in 2019, 13.9% in 2021, and 9.1% in 2023. This trend indicates that policy efforts to establish a severe trauma care system, such as the installation and operation of regional trauma centers, have been effective. During this period, the number of regional trauma centers increased from eight to seventeen nationwide.

The preventable trauma mortality rate improved in all five regions across the country. In particular, the Gyeonggi-Incheon region recorded the lowest rate at 6.4%, while the Daejeon-Chungcheong-Gangwon-Sejong region saw its rate drop from 16.0% in 2021 to 7.9% in 2023, a decrease of 8.1 percentage points. On the other hand, the Gwangju-Jeolla-Jeju region had the highest rate at 14.3%.

This survey also presented research results evaluating the reduction in preventable trauma mortality from an economic perspective. By comparing the budget invested in establishing and operating regional trauma centers with the monetary value of the benefits gained from reduced trauma deaths, it was estimated that the government invested approximately 671.7 billion won from 2012 to 2023, and a total of 14,176 deaths were prevented. Applying the statistical value of life (VSL) to the number of prevented deaths, the economic benefits of establishing the trauma care system were estimated to range from at least 3.5 trillion won to as much as 19.6 trillion won, with a benefit-cost ratio (BC Ratio) of 5.21 to 29.11 times.

However, in this survey, some regional medical institutions did not submit the necessary data for the research. Jung Kyungwon, Director of the Regional Trauma Center at Ajou University Hospital, explained, "Institutions with a higher number of preventable deaths tend to be less proactive in submitting data, so the results in regions with low data submission rates may have been underestimated."

Lee Jungkyu, Director of Public Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Thanks to the dedication of the medical staff at regional trauma centers and emergency medical institutions, the preventable trauma mortality rate continues to improve despite challenging clinical conditions. Going forward, we will further strengthen the severe trauma care system by designating hub regional trauma centers and enhancing cooperation between regional trauma centers and doctor helicopters, thereby continuously reducing preventable trauma deaths."