Objective: Trauma is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in modern society, and traumatic\nbrain injuries (TBI) are the single leading cause of mortality among young adults. Pre-hospital acute care management\nhas developed during recent years and guidelines have shown positive effects on the pre-hospital treatment and\noutcome for patients with severe traumatic brain injury. However, reports of impacts on improved nursing competence\nin the ambulance services are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate if increased nursing competence\nlevel has had an impact on pre-hospital assessment and interventions in severe traumatic brain-injured patients in the\nambulance services.\nMethod: A retrospective study was conducted. It included all severe TBI patients (>15 years of age) with a Glasgow\nComa Score (GCS) of less than eight measured on admission to a level one trauma centre hospital, and requiring\nintensive care (ICU) during the years 2000ââ?¬â??2009.\nResults: 651 patients were included, and between the years 2000ââ?¬â??2005, 395 (60.7%) severe TBI patients were injured,\nwhile during 2006ââ?¬â??2009, there were 256 (39.3%) patients. The performed assessment and interventions made at the\nscene of the injury and the mortality in hospital showed no significant difference between the two groups. However,\nthe assessment of saturation was measured more frequently and length of stay in the ICU was significantly less in the\ngroup of TBI patients treated between 2006ââ?¬â??2009.\nConclusion: Greater competence of the ambulance personnel may result in better assessment of patient needs, but\nshowed no impact on performed pre-hospital interventions or hospital mortality.
Loading....