Abstract
Background: The world burden of trauma is increasing more so in developing countries with increasing incidence of road traffic accidents, urban and rural violence, as well as natural and man-made disasters. A key determinant of outcome following trauma is the level of preparedness of the health care system. This study evaluated the preparedness of doctors and hospitals in Nigeria for trauma care. Methods: Questionnaire survey among all 100 participants at a National Conference of Surgeons. Results: The response rate was 68%. 55(80.9%) of respondents had never attended an ATLS course while 13(19.1%) had but only 1(1.5%) was currently ATLS certified. 38(55.9%) felt confident managing acute trauma cases, 39(57.4%) with endotracheal intubation, 33(48.5%) with laryngeal mask airway insertion, 33(48.5%) doing a crico-thyroidotomy and 43(63.2%) with tracheostomy. Respondents who reported trauma drills in their hospitals were 20(29.4%), standing trauma team 27(39.7%), disaster management team 19(27.9%) and ambulance emergency help line 14(20.6%). Conclusion: Doctors and hospitals in Nigeria are ill-prepared for trauma care. Keywords: Trauma, Preparedness, NigeriaSahel Medical Journal Vol. 10 (3) 2007: pp. 97-102
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