Rural Trauma Team Development Course Positively Impacts its Desired Objectives

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Trauma Care
• Rural Health Systems

Background:

• The Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) aims to improve trauma patient management in resource-limited rural settings.
• Limited research exists on the effectiveness of RTTDC in achieving its intended objectives.
• This study evaluates the impact of RTTDC on key performance indicators in rural trauma care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effectiveness of the Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC).
• To hypothesize and assess improvements in course objectives post-completion.
• To provide evidence for wider implementation of RTTDC in rural healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, observational study conducted from 2015 to 2021.
• Included 16 rural hospitals that completed RTTDC training led by a Level 1 trauma center.
• Analyzed patient data pre- and post-RTTDC, focusing on ED dwell time, transfer decision time, imaging utilization, and mortality.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions observed in Emergency Department (ED) dwell time (64 min) and decision to transfer time (62 min) post-RTTDC.
• Mean number of radiographic and CT scans obtained significantly decreased after RTTDC implementation (P < .001 and P = .002).
• No significant impact on patient mortality was found (P = .941).

Conclusions:

• RTTDC effectively decreases ED dwell time, decision to transfer time, and unnecessary imaging in rural trauma care.
• The course shows a positive impact on resource management and patient throughput.
• Expansion of RTTDC to more rural hospitals is recommended to enhance trauma care delivery.