Scand J Trauma Resus
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Dec 2013
Multicenter StudyTriage performance of Swedish physicians using the ATLS algorithm in a simulated mass casualty incident: a prospective cross-sectional survey.
In a mass casualty situation, medical personnel must rapidly assess and prioritize patients for treatment and transport. Triage is an important tool for medical management in disaster situations. Lack of common international and Swedish triage guidelines could lead to confusion. Attending the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) provider course is becoming compulsory in the northern part of Europe. The aim of the ATLS guidelines is provision of effective management of single critically injured patients, not mass casualties incidents. However, the use of the ABCDE algorithms from ATLS, has been proposed to be valuable, even in a disaster environment. The objective for this study was to determine whether the mnemonic ABCDE as instructed in the ATLS provider course, affects the ability of Swedish physician's to correctly triage patients in a simulated mass casualty incident. ⋯ The mnemonic ABCDE doesn't significantly affect the ability of triage among Swedish physicians. Actions to increase Swedish physicians' knowledge of triage, within the ATLS context or separately, are warranted.