Trauma Education

Trauma Education

Training for teams managing trauma care is vital. It is generally acknowledged that the standard for such training in the high-income countries is high. In Trinidad and Tobago, the introduction of the Advanced Trauma Life Support course for doctors and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support course for paramedics, together with improved emergency equipments led to improvements in trauma care and a decrease in trauma mortality, both in field and in hospitals. The Essential Trauma Care Project is a collaborative effort between WHO and the International Society of Surgery that aims improve the planning and organization of trauma care worldwide . Professionals working in trauma care and rehabilitation witness the human tragedy following road traffic injury and can be powerful advocates of prevention. In New Zealand in 1987, a group of four intensive care specialists decided to tackle the growing epidemic of road traffic injuries. At the time, victims of road traffic crashes accounted for 30% of intensive care admissions and 40% of impatient days in their Auckland based intensive Care unit. Their prevention campaign had five objectives: to promote the use of the term crash rather than accident; to install motorway median barriers (which they identified as having potential to reduce injuries locally); to ensure appropriate child restraints; to analyse blood alcohol content of those injured in road crashes; and to advocate for a Ministry of Trauma Prevention. The campaign for median barriers on motorways was supported by the Newspapers, which organized a 16,000-signature petition that was later presented to Parliament. In 1998, the prime minister announced that all new motorways in New Zealand would be built with median barriers and that existing motorways would have them fitted.

Training for teams managing trauma care is vital. It is generally acknowledged that the standard for such training in the high-income countries is high. In Trinidad and Tobago, the introduction of the Advanced Trauma Life Support course for doctors and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support course for paramedics, together with improved emergency equipments led to improvements in trauma care and a decrease in trauma mortality, both in field and in hospitals. The Essential Trauma Care Project is a collaborative effort between WHO and the International Society of Surgery that aims improve the planning and organization of trauma care worldwide . Professionals working in trauma care and rehabilitation witness the human tragedy following road traffic injury and can be powerful advocates of prevention. In New Zealand in 1987, a group of four intensive care specialists decided to tackle the growing epidemic of road traffic injuries. At the time, victims of road traffic crashes accounted for 30% of intensive care admissions and 40% of impatient days in their Auckland based intensive Care unit. Their prevention campaign had five objectives: to promote the use of the term crash rather than accident; to install motorway median barriers (which they identified as having potential to reduce injuries locally); to ensure appropriate child restraints; to analyse blood alcohol content of those injured in road crashes; and to advocate for a Ministry of Trauma Prevention. The campaign for median barriers on motorways was supported by the Newspapers, which organized a 16,000-signature petition that was later presented to Parliament. In 1998, the prime minister announced that all new motorways in New Zealand would be built with median barriers and that existing motorways would have them fitted.

Components of the trauma system are :

  • Pre-hospital care
  • In-hospital care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Prevention
  • Education
  • Research