Pre-Hospital Trauma Course

The need for adequate training

Clinicians require training in pre-hospital trauma care for a number of reasons:

• There is a large emotional component to this work, and appropriate training helps minimise the impact of the stressors;
• Incident sites are dangerous, and proper education about the common hazards can substantially reduce risks;
• There are documented examples of patients suffering preventable mortality and morbidity due to lack of training, poor communication and poor organisation.

Assumed knowledge and experience

The Pre-Hospital Trauma Course assumes:

• a basic level of knowledge and skill taught to hospital-based trauma clinicians;
• substantial experience in leading trauma teams and managing critically injured patients in the hospital setting.

The course aims to translate this knowledge, skill and experience into the pre-hospital environment.

Program Objectives

By the end of the course it is expected that the participants will be better able to:

• understand the need for a trauma system;
• conduct themselves safely at a scene;
• demonstrate the attitudes and medical skills necessary to perform optimally at a pre-hospital trauma scene;
• understand the principles of extraction;
• describe the structure, roles, capabilities and hierarchy associated with the other emergency services at the site;
• understand the concept of teamwork as it applies to pre-hospital trauma care;
• identify appropriate personal and medical equipment for pre-hospital trauma medicine;
• demonstrate the basic use of radios;
• understand the basis of major incident medicine;
• use triage in a major incident setting.

Course Content

The course is an intensive two-day program which requires pre-reading.

The program covers:

Day 1

• AM: Skill stations and lectures.
  Subjects include trauma systems, packaging, circulation control, crush syndrome, transport physiology, chest drains and splinting.
• PM: Three scenarios on bush rescue, radio use and intubation
  in the field.

Day 2

• AM: Extrication skills and scene assessment followed by three practical scenarios.
• PM: Disaster skills and scenarios.

For more information about the Course contact Linda Pensabene or Kelly Kean:
Tel: (02) 9843 5100
Email: linda.pensabene@careflight.org or kelly.kean@careflight.org.