Development and evaluation of the Rural Trauma and Emergency Care Roadshow

To validate the Rural Trauma and Emergency Care (RTEC) Roadshow, an educational programme comprised of 14 skills-based, educational modules in trauma care designed for rural general practitioners and taught as a travelling roadshow in isolated rural areas.

The first 31 rural general practitioners to participate in the course completed an extensive participant satisfaction rating form. They also underwent pre-and post-testing of knowledge using a written true/false test, of skills using an OSCE examination and of stress related to being on call using a self-assessment, Likert scale.

Participant satisfaction was high with a mean rating of 4.7 (maximum of 5) for overall course quality and relevance of content. There was a significant increase in skills (from 46 to 73% mean OSCE scores), in knowledge (from 58 to 69% mean true-false test scores) and in confidence in handling major trauma (from 3.9 to 5.3 on a ten point scale) as a result of the course.

The RTEC course is effective in increasing the skills and knowledge of general practitioners in trauma care.