Managing the trauma patient: focusing on perioperative education

The key to planning and implementing safe, effective care to the trauma patient lies in initial and ongoing education, both hospital- and unit-based. Evaluation provides valuable feedback to assess the comprehensiveness of existing tools and the need for change. The perioperative nurse needs to know the pathophysiology of trauma, mechanisms of injury, continuity of care through the healthcare system, and trauma protocols of the facility, as well as the instrumentation and equipment used during trauma surgery. The goal of trauma orientation and continuing education is for the perioperative nurse to be able to use the nursing process to rapidly assess, diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care for the trauma patient.