Trauma Training for Emergency Department Physicians in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Medical Education
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Trauma is a major global health issue, particularly in LMICs.
• Emergency Departments (EDs) are crucial for trauma patient care.
• Limited formal trauma training exists for ED physicians in LMICs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the literature on trauma-specific training for ED physicians in LMICs.
• To assess the scope and impact of existing trauma training programs.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases.
• Screening and full-text review of articles focusing on ED physician trauma training in LMICs.
• Data extraction on study design, interventions, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• 14 articles from 12 LMICs were included, focusing on short trauma courses (average 2.65 days).
• Studies showed improvements in provider knowledge and confidence, with limited data on clinical impact.
• Limitations include small sample sizes and diverse participant groups.

Conclusions:

• ED physicians in LMICs have limited trauma training, impacting care.
• Short trauma courses offer potential benefits but require more robust evaluation.
• Future research should focus on long-term knowledge retention, skill application, and clinical outcomes to strengthen global trauma systems.