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The hospital trauma team: a model for trauma management
S A Deane1, P L Gaudry, I Pearson
1Department of Surgery, Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
The Journal of Trauma
|July 1, 1990
Summary
A trauma triage system effectively identifies severe injuries in emergency departments, improving trauma team response. This validated approach enhances early patient management and may be more practical than dedicated trauma units.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Trauma team response is crucial for early assessment and management of critically injured patients.
- Existing triage systems require validation for accuracy and efficiency in accident and emergency departments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and evaluate a triage system for initiating trauma team responses.
- To assess the compliance, overtriage, and sensitivity of a trauma triage checklist.
- To refine triage criteria based on predictive power for serious injury.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a checklist-based triage system for trauma admissions.
- Data collection over a 6-month period on patient triage and trauma team activation.
- Comparative analysis with a previous review and logistic regression for criterion revision.
Main Results:
- 342 patients (29.7%) met triage criteria, indicating an average of 1.9 daily trauma team calls.
- Staff compliance with the triage tool was 75.4%, with an overtriage rate of 52.7%.
- The tool demonstrated high sensitivity (95.0%) in identifying severe injuries, including those initially underestimated.
Conclusions:
- The trauma triage tool and team response provide a valid method for early hospital management of trauma patients.
- This system offers a potentially more achievable alternative to dedicated trauma units or permanent staffing in emergency departments.