Tertiary Trauma Survey: Nurses Performance and Polytrauma Patients’ Outcomes

Abstract

Context: Tertiary Trauma Survey is an important tool for the detection of missed injury, and some trauma units have created their protocol for tertiary trauma surveys to decrease the incidence of missed injuries in trauma patients.
Aim: This study aims to assess nurses' performance regarding tertiary Survey and Poly-trauma patients’ outcome.
Methods: Descriptive exploratory design utilized to achieve the aim of the study. A convenient sample of all available nurs- es (50 nurses) who are working in the intensive care unit at the emergency hospital affiliated to Ain Shams University Hos- pitals. A purposeful sample composed of (50) adult patients diagnosed as poly-trauma patients recruited from the same units. Data obtained through three main tools; Self-administered questionnaire for nurses, nurses practice observational checklist and clinical outcome record for patients.

Results: Nurses under study had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge and practice regarding tertiary trauma survey (44%&32%) respectively. There was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between the total level of knowledge and practice. There was the difference between injury severity score and laboratory, hemodynamic status, physi- cal assessment and radiological findings of polytrauma patients on admission and after 24 hours.

Conclusion: Less than half and less than one-third of the nurses under study had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge and practice respectively, regarding tertiary trauma survey. There was highly statistically significant positive correlation between the total level of knowledge and total level practice. Polytrauma patients' outcome, revealed a statistically significant differ- ence between injury severity score, hemodynamic status, physical assessment and radiological findings in polytrauma pa- tients on admission and after 24 hours. Recommendations: Further research is needed to follow the patients' outcome and missed injury. Replication of the current study on larger probability sample is recommended to achieve generalization of the result. Tailored Training courses are needed for nurses to improve unsatisfactory knowledge and practices regarding tertiary trauma survey- integrated studies with the emergency medical team to communicate patients' outcome research findings.