Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery

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VOLUME 7 , ISSUE 1 ( January-April, 2018 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Trauma Survey of 476 Doctors: Now We know What We Do not know

Aytekin Ünlü, Murat Urkan, Patrizio Petrone, Sahin Kaymak, Emin Lapsekili, Pelin Ozmen, Soner Yilmaz, Corrado P Marini, Oguz Hancerliogu, Umit Alakus, Nazif Zeybek

Keywords : Emergency physicians, Survey, Triage, Turkish trauma system

Citation Information : Ünlü A, Urkan M, Petrone P, Kaymak S, Lapsekili E, Ozmen P, Yilmaz S, Marini CP, Hancerliogu O, Alakus U, Zeybek N. Trauma Survey of 476 Doctors: Now We know What We Do not know. Panam J Trauma Crit Care Emerg Surg 2018; 7 (1):52-60.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10030-1204

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-01-2017

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2018; The Author(s).


Abstract

Introduction: In 2013, the Turkish Statistical Institute Bulletin reported 3,685 people killed and 274,829 injured in 161,306 traffic collisions. The aim of this study was to determine medical doctors’ general attitudes, awareness, and knowledge regarding trauma. Methods: A s urvey q uestionnaire w as c onducted b etween February 2015 and April 2015. It comprised three demographic, seven attitude, and eight knowledge questions on trauma. Physicians were stratified as: group I—general practitioners; group II—surgical residents; group III—surgeons; group IV— academic surgical specialties. Results: A total of 476 (75%) of the 636 questionnaires were completed and analyzed. Median age was 36 years. General practitioners (38.7%) and surgeons (38.7%) represented the majority of respondents. Respondents’ medium level of confidence rate in performing life-saving interventions was 98 (53%), 25 (34%), 44 (24%), and 8 (24%) respectively. Moreover, 161 (88%), 68 (92%), 162 (88%), and 32 (94%) of respondents failed to choose the right order of prioritization in a threecasualty scenario respectively. Only 36 (20%) in group I, 22 (30%) in group II, 40 (22%) in group III, and 7 (21%) in group IV correctly estimated the percentage of blood loss in Class III hemorrhagic shock. Conclusions: The current study suggests that Turkey still requires a well-organized trauma system. Further studies are required to assess the capabilities of Turkish Emergency System.


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