Case 1 tutorial - Trauma 1

Objectives for case 1

take a systematic approach in the assessment of an automobile crash scene in which there are several casualities
assess from basic principles the status of a patient suffering major trauma
describe how potential complications of wounds and fractures affect the management of the acute injury
identify preventative strategies which may reduce major injuries due to MHCs

Be familiar with:

Read these papers:

Girgis A, Sanson-Fisher RW. Breaking bad news: consensus guidelines for medical practitioners. J Clin Oncol. 1995;13(9):2449.
Hanratty B, Lowson E, Holmes L, Grande G, Jacoby A, Payne S, et al. Breaking bad news sensitively: what is important to patients in their last year of life? BMJ Support Pall Care. 2012;2(1):24-8.

Doctors need to understand the underlying physiological, pharmacological, pathological and psychological principles involved in the acute and longer-term care of patients with traumatic injury in order to assess, treat and manage their patient in the most effective way.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ for the clinical management of any individual, so the approach taken will necessarily be one which takes into account the patient as a whole person (embraces all bio-psycho-socialcontexts).
Breaking bad news can be an extremely challenging task for the doctor, and again the approach should be tailored to the patient’s context.
Public Health interventions are aimed at reducing crash fatalities and casualties using an evidence-based approach. Evidence can be gathered in the form of road crash statistics. Such statistics can inform further research into causality.
The effects of major trauma such as those caused by a motor vehicle crash may be long lasting for the patient and their friends and family.