Journal of trauma nursing : the official journal of the Society of Trauma Nurses
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Getting assigned to a trauma for the first time is still stressful for perioperative staff members. However, viewing the video/DVD does seem to help overcome some of the inherent anxiety. In addition, encouraging new or inexperienced staff nurses and technologists to participate on trauma cases with more seasoned staff also seems to alleviate some of those fears. ⋯ Making a video seemed like an overwhelming task at first, but the team sought out guidance and support from appropriate resources (videographer, surgeons, etc) in order to collaborate effectively, and the result was a great educational product. The Staff Development team continues to present inservices that are specialty or case specific. The "trauma" aspect of these presentations is also always included to reinforce the topics that were brought out in the video.
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The phenomenon of missed injury in trauma patients has been recognized for some time. Tertiary examination has been proposed as one strategy to decrease the incidence of missed injuries. The tertiary examination is a comprehensive reevaluation that includes a repeated head-to-toe examination and review of all laboratory and radiologic studies, completed within 24 hours of admission. ⋯ The 16 missed injuries represented only 2.7% of the total 589 injuries, which was not significant. The most commonly missed injuries were fractures of the extremities. We propose that tertiary examinations be adopted as a standard of care for patients admitted to level II trauma centers.