Trauma Management Training with Simulation in Basic Sciences
Mouandjo L. Louison, B.Sc., Theresa J. McCann, M.P.H., Ph.D.
St. George’s University, Grenada
The Free Dictionary
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defines trauma as a severe bodily injury, as from a gunshot wound or a motor vehicle accident. In other words, trauma could be defined as a physical damage to the body caused by a brutal and violent activity which can potentially lead to death. Hence, in order to provide a better assistance and care to trauma victims, a global organization known as
International Trauma Life Support was founded along with the development of courses and training centers.
ITLS first and foremost objective is to prevent death and disability from trauma through
EDUCATION and EMERGENCY TRAUMA CARE.
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The combination of these two key components of every ITLS courses provides a unique educational experience.
At St. George’s University, the ITLS course -which is offered as a Basic Sciences Selective-, gives any medical student the opportunity to learn both the theoretical and practical features of trauma management within a simulated learning environment.
During this course, students enhance the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully manage patients who are affected by trauma. The students learn current International Trauma
Life Support (ITLS) approaches to managing a patient from a cognitive and skills-based approach using didactic presentation, interactive skills stations and case scenarios.
Per standard ITLS protocol, there is a pretest exam along with up-to-date materials including textbook, pictures, algorithms and case studies. Student must pass both a practical hands-on test and written multiple-choice post-test to earn certification.
St. George’s University School of Medicine (SGUSOM) was certified by the International
Trauma Life Support (ITLS) as an official Training Center in Grenada in summer 2008, and since then over 250 SGU students have participated in the Trauma Selective which is offered each term. The 7 th
Edition of the ITLS textbook and course materials reflect the latest and most effective approaches to care of the trauma patient. With the new edition, we took the opportunity to more closely assess the students who completed the Selective in August 2012.
A total of 18 students were enrolled, and of these, one was in term 1B, seven were in term 2, three were in term 4 and seven were in term 5. While most courses have roughly equal number of men and women, this course had five males and 13 females. An average of 38 questions were answered correctly out of 50 total. Overall, there was no difference between students in terms 1/2 versus terms 4/5 in the average number of questions answered correctly on the written post-test. There were 12 questions considered to be especially challenging, based on the criteria that less than 50% of students answered them correctly. Of these, eight questions were directly form the textbook and five questions comprised scenarios. On the challenging questions, students in terms 4/5 scored better on six questions, did equally well on two questions, and scored worse on four questions that did students in terms 1/2.