Trauma team
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Overview
A Trauma team is a group of healthcare workers who attend to seriously ill or injured casualties who arrive at a hospital emergency department. The team is composed of a number of specific roles, with a typical team consisting of:
- Team Leader – Trauma Surgeon, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Emergency Medicine Physician, or Anesthesiologist doctor who takes command
- Additionally: An Emergency Medicine Physician (optional)
- Additionally: Anesthesiologist
- Respiratory Therapist (Canada/USA)
- Three nurses
- Radiographer
- Scribe – a nurse or doctor who deals with administration
Other specialities can be added depending on the nature of the injury, for example a neurological surgeon will attend if there is a serious head injury. All staff should be trained in Advanced Trauma Life Support techniques. Each hospital will have a list of criteria that require the activation of the trauma team, such as a fall of over 6 meters or a fracture of 2 or more bones.
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