The Alfred Trauma Team Training Program in India and Sri Lanka

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Global Health
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Road traffic injuries represent a significant global health burden, with India facing particularly high mortality rates.
• The Alfred Hospital, Australia, has partnered with institutions in India and Sri Lanka since 2004 to build trauma care capacity.
• A systematic approach to trauma care was identified as a need in India and Sri Lanka.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the understanding and skills of emergency care providers in the reception and resuscitation of critically injured patients.
• To implement a team-based, systematic approach to emergency trauma care.
• To foster collaboration between Australian emergency clinicians and healthcare providers in India and Sri Lanka.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of The Alfred Trauma Team Training Program, funded by the Australian Agency for International Development.
• Selection of 26 participants from nine diverse healthcare sites across India and Sri Lanka.
• Conducting the program at Christian Medical College, India, with follow-up visits and a focus on team-based scenarios facilitated by Australian emergency clinicians.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated significant improvement in their knowledge and practical skills related to trauma reception and resuscitation.
• The team-based, systematic approach to emergency trauma care was highly valued by the participants.
• Challenges included managing participants from varied health system backgrounds.

Conclusions:

• The Trauma Team Training Program successfully imparted skills to improve trauma reception and resuscitation.
• The collaborative, team-based approach is effective in enhancing emergency trauma care capacity in resource-limited settings.
• Continued efforts in capacity-building are crucial for addressing the global injury burden.