• Sarah B Cairo, Malachi Fisher, Brian Clemency, Charlotte Cipparone, Evelyn Quist, and Kathryn D Bass.
• John R Oshei Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Buffalo, NY 14202, United States. Electronic address: scairo2@gmail.com.
• J. Pediatr. Surg. 2018 May 1; 53 (5): 1037-1041.

PurposePatient triage to the appropriate destination is critical to prehospital trauma care. Triage decisions are challenging in a region without collocated pediatric and adult trauma centers.MethodsA regional survey was administered to emergency medical response units identifying variability and confusion regarding factors influencing patient disposition. A course was developed to guide the triage of pediatric and pregnant trauma patients. Pre- and posttests were administered to address course principles, including decision making and triage.ResultsA total of 445 participants completed the course at 22 sites representing 88 different prehospital provider agencies. Pre- and posttests were administered to 62% of participants with an average score improvement of 53.4% (pretest range 30% to 56.6%; posttest range 85% to 100%). Improvements were seen in all categories including major and minor trauma in pregnancy, major trauma in adolescence, and knowledge of age limits and triage protocols.ConclusionEducation on triage guidelines and principles of pediatric resuscitation is essential for appropriate prehospital trauma management. Pre- and posttests may be used to demonstrate short term efficacy, while ongoing evaluations of practice patterns and follow-up surveys are needed to demonstrate longevity of acquired knowledge and identify areas of persistent confusion.Level Of EvidenceLevel IV, Case Series without Standardized.Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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