Translating training to medical practice in trauma care, a literature review

Abstract

Trauma, a global health challenge, remains a significant cause of mortality despite advances in trauma management. The establishment of trauma teams has revolutionized care in trauma resuscitation. The training of these teams is designed to promote self-trust and empower trainees in trauma care, enhance performance, and improve patient outcomes. Various training curricula have been developed, utilizing a plethora of teaching methods such as lectures, simulations, debriefings, skill workshops, and demonstrations. However, a universally accepted gold standard curriculum in trauma training is yet to be defined, and there is no standard method for delivering education in injury care teaching. In this review, we have examined relevant literature data on standard teaching programs, the educational delivery methods used, and their impact on adult trauma patients' outcomes and trained team-related outcomes. While most studies indicate improved trained team performance, they consistently show no improvement in patient-specific outcomes such as mortality, morbidity, and length of stay. However, data hints at optimal educational delivery and the role that technology may play in the future of trauma training development.

Keywords: Adult; Education; Emergency medicine; Program evaluation; Simulation; Trauma management; Trauma training; Wounds and injuries.

Fig. 1

Simulation-based training impact on Time to CT (mean values are shown)

Fig. 2

Pre/Post trauma training patient-related outcomes measures. (A) Training impact on mortality rates; (B) Training impact on emergency room Length of Stay (LOS) with trendline for pre-interventional measures (mean values are shown)