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National Road Safety Strategy |
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Road Trauma Victims
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The National Road Safety Strategy currently is making recommendations for improving road trauma care. These include:
- Installing emergency alert systems in carsto automatically notify emergency services of the location and severity of the crash.
- Rural hospitals are often less well equipped to deal with a major road crash that might involve several people with severe injuries.
- Adopting common procedures for treatments to streamline the transfer of patients from rural to major hospitals.
- Increasing the number and training of doctors, paramedics and other emergency services personnel in the early management of severe trauma.
- And increasing the level of first-aid training among the general public.
One of the tasks of ambulance paramedics when they arrive at a crash site is to assess the extent of injuries to victims and decide where they should be sent. Those with severe injuries might not survive a long road trip, but local hospitals might not be equipped to treat them effectively. A helicopter might also be required to transport the victim to a more appropriate hospital.
Australia’s trauma care is of a generally high quality, but there will always be room for improvement to any system. One six-year study carried out recently in Victoria estimated that improved diagnosis of road trauma victims might have saved 30 or more lives in a year in that state alone!
The Australian College of Ambulance Professionals will hold a national conference in November at the Adelaide Convention Centre to thoroughly discuss road trauma and other topics with numerous speakers to attend. It is the latest move to bring members up-to-date with technology and advice.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 15:54 )
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