Advanced Trauma Life Support laboratory: pilot implementation and evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• The need for standardized trauma care training is critical.
• Emergency physicians require hands-on experience with invasive procedures.
• The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program aimed to address these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of pilot ATLS animal laboratory courses.
• To assess the training of emergency physicians in invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.
• To determine the readiness of the ATLS concept for national standardization.

Main Methods:

• Modular ATLS animal laboratory courses were conducted in the fall of 1977.
• Thirty-seven emergency physicians participated in four pilot laboratories.
• The study utilized baboons and rhesus monkeys, with a trainee:animal:instructor ratio of 2:1:0.75.

Main Results:

• The total cost for the pilot courses was $15,581.86.
• The average cost per trauma laboratory course was $3,895.46.
• The average cost per emergency physician trained was $421.13.

Conclusions:

• The pilot ATLS animal laboratory courses successfully trained emergency physicians.
• The program demonstrated a cost-effective model for trauma training.
• The ATLS concept is deemed ready for national standardization and implementation.