I concur whole-heartedly with the praise that has been made of Tim
and Gareths' excellent article.
As an instructor in casualty handling at MVA's to a wide range of
professional groups such as Consultants from varying specialities, Fire
and Rescue service personnel and paramedics I feel that one very important
issue is team - work and being aware of each others skills and
capabilities to provide an integrated response to casualty care.
Training on courses in pre-hospital care needs to be directed to this end
with all groups of professionals working together in realistic, real time
scenarios.
Encouraging fire service personnel to take on additional skills in
casualty care allows them to make a rapid assessment of the time scale
needed to remove the casualty from the car, and provide good quality basic
interventions to prevent further deterioration within the first 5- 10
minutes of arriving on scene. In some cases the Fire Service may actually
be first in attendence at many MVA's; this extended knowledge allows them
to start the extrication process early and to confidently report back
their findings to paramedics when they arrive.In Lancashire the fire
service are in attendance first on scene at over 60% of MVA's. All Fire
Service MVA Instructor courses now provides Doctors and Nurses skilled in
casualty care as part of the teaching faculty, to allow this dissemination
of knowledge.Infact now-a-days you are 4 times more likely to see a
fireman at an MVA than at a fire!
Safety at scene courses are invaluable to BASICS doctors as it allows
them to assess the danger to themselves and the casualty.I feel it is
important for them to learn glass management strategies to allow them
rapid access to the casualty in the absence of the fire service.
Multi - disciplinary team working should be considered as mandatory
for Medical Rescue Teams, as in the event of multi - casualty scenarios it
allows each team member to provide appropriate and immediate care to
trauma victims.
Our medical rescue team includes fire - fighters, who are infact team
leaders who will triage the accident scene, Consultant Anaesthetists, and
Anaesthetic Assistants. We believe that the team approach is beneficial to
the casualty and provides a rapid response to each individual casualties
needs. All team members are trained in Airway management techniques, i.v.
cannulation and a rapid primary survey.
I would urge all doctors who are providing pre- hospital care to
attend safety at scene courses and to work in tandem with the emergency
services. Providing medical training to the fire service has given the
team the added advantage of being trained in scene safety and also
provided us with a knowledge of vehicle cutting techniques and the science
of space creation which allows us a better understanding of what is
acheivable on scene.
This symbiotic relationship is one which benefits the casualty which
is after all the very purpose of our pre- hospital role.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
15 May 2002
Emma C. Durmaz. MA, RGN.
ATACC Medical Rescue Team, Venue Medical Manager Commonwealth Games
Rapid Response:
The Integrated response to MVA's.
I concur whole-heartedly with the praise that has been made of Tim
and Gareths' excellent article.
As an instructor in casualty handling at MVA's to a wide range of
professional groups such as Consultants from varying specialities, Fire
and Rescue service personnel and paramedics I feel that one very important
issue is team - work and being aware of each others skills and
capabilities to provide an integrated response to casualty care.
Training on courses in pre-hospital care needs to be directed to this end
with all groups of professionals working together in realistic, real time
scenarios.
Encouraging fire service personnel to take on additional skills in
casualty care allows them to make a rapid assessment of the time scale
needed to remove the casualty from the car, and provide good quality basic
interventions to prevent further deterioration within the first 5- 10
minutes of arriving on scene. In some cases the Fire Service may actually
be first in attendence at many MVA's; this extended knowledge allows them
to start the extrication process early and to confidently report back
their findings to paramedics when they arrive.In Lancashire the fire
service are in attendance first on scene at over 60% of MVA's. All Fire
Service MVA Instructor courses now provides Doctors and Nurses skilled in
casualty care as part of the teaching faculty, to allow this dissemination
of knowledge.Infact now-a-days you are 4 times more likely to see a
fireman at an MVA than at a fire!
Safety at scene courses are invaluable to BASICS doctors as it allows
them to assess the danger to themselves and the casualty.I feel it is
important for them to learn glass management strategies to allow them
rapid access to the casualty in the absence of the fire service.
Multi - disciplinary team working should be considered as mandatory
for Medical Rescue Teams, as in the event of multi - casualty scenarios it
allows each team member to provide appropriate and immediate care to
trauma victims.
Our medical rescue team includes fire - fighters, who are infact team
leaders who will triage the accident scene, Consultant Anaesthetists, and
Anaesthetic Assistants. We believe that the team approach is beneficial to
the casualty and provides a rapid response to each individual casualties
needs. All team members are trained in Airway management techniques, i.v.
cannulation and a rapid primary survey.
I would urge all doctors who are providing pre- hospital care to
attend safety at scene courses and to work in tandem with the emergency
services. Providing medical training to the fire service has given the
team the added advantage of being trained in scene safety and also
provided us with a knowledge of vehicle cutting techniques and the science
of space creation which allows us a better understanding of what is
acheivable on scene.
This symbiotic relationship is one which benefits the casualty which
is after all the very purpose of our pre- hospital role.
Competing interests: No competing interests