Evaluating Trauma Care Capabilities using the Essential Trauma Care Guidelines of the World Health Organization: Cross-sectional study of primary health centres in Muscat, Oman.

Aisha Al Balushi,Asma Ali Al Salmani,Zaleikha Al Balushi

doi:10.18295/squmj.4.2021.057

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate trauma care capabilities at the primary care level in Muscat, Oman, using World Health Organization guidelines.MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2015 at eight primary health centres in Seeb. An English-language questionnaire was distributed to the medical officer or nurse in-charge at each centre to determine the number of staff, total population being served, number of emergency trauma cases and availability of ambulances. Subsequently, 10 doctors from each health centre were randomly selected to assess the availability of physical resources as well as their trauma skills and knowledge.ResultsThere were limited physical and human resources for the management of trauma and a complete absence of trauma administrative functions, such as local trauma registries or quality improvement activities.ConclusionThis study highlighted the need to introduce national guidelines and improve the delivery of trauma services in Oman.

Highlights

Trauma is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, with the majority of preventable deaths occurring in primary care settings.[1,2]
In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a set of international guidelines for essential trauma care (ETC), resulting in a checklist of 260 items outlining the personnel-related and physical resources necessary for the delivery of high-quality trauma care.[4,5]
The general status indicators of the eight primary health centres are presented in Table 1, including the number of staff, total population being served, number of emergency cases and availability of ambulances at each centre

Summary

Introduction

Trauma is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, with the majority of preventable deaths occurring in primary care settings.[1,2] In particular, road traffic crashes (RTCs) are a common yet avoidable cause of trauma and represent a considerable economical and logistical burden on the healthcare system.[2]. In 2004, the WHO published a set of international guidelines for essential trauma care (ETC), resulting in a checklist of 260 items outlining the personnel-related (i.e. training, skills and sufficient staffing) and physical (i.e. equipment and supplies) resources necessary for the delivery of high-quality trauma care.[4,5] These guidelines provide a standardised template to assess trauma care capabilities in nations worldwide. Various countries have since adopted these guidelines in an attempt to identify affordable and sustainable methods to strengthen their capabilities and improve their national trauma systems.[6,7]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion