The Alfred Trauma Team Training Program in India and Sri Lanka

Abstract

Injury is a major global health problem. India suffers more deaths from vehicle collisions than any other country. Since 2004 The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia has established strong linkages with Christian Medical College (CMC) in Ludhiana, the Punjab, India and Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK) in Galle, Sri Lanka, supporting trauma care capacity-building. In response to the demand for a systematic approach to trauma care in India and Sri Lanka, The Alfred Trauma Team Training Program was developed, funded by the Australian Agency for International Development, The Alfred and its participating staff, CMC and THK. The aim of the programme was to enhance the understanding and skill in reception and resuscitation of critically injured patients in a cohort of providers of emergency care. Participants were selected from nine sites: CMC, five government hospitals across the Punjab, Delhi, THK and Teaching Hospital Peradeniya in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The programme was conducted at CMC, with follow-up visits to THK and Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, and focused on team-based scenarios. The faculty included emergency clinicians from The Alfred. Participants showed improvement in the knowledge and skills of trauma reception and resuscitation. Observed programme challenges included the variety of health systems from which the participants were sourced. The Trauma Team Training Program allowed Australian emergency clinicians to impart some skills towards improving the level of trauma reception and resuscitation by 26 participants from nine sites. The team-based systematic approach to the delivery of emergency trauma care was valued by the participants.