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Expertise of German paramedics concerning the prehospital treatment of patients with spinal trauma

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European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Spinal immobilization is a standard procedure in emergency medicine. Increasing awareness of complications associated with immobilization of trauma patients leads to controversial discussions in the literature. Current guidelines require to include considerations of accident mechanism, an assessment of the patient’s condition and an examination of the spine in the decision-making process if immobilization of the spine should be performed. This requires sound knowledge of assessing these parameters. The aim of the current study is to analyze German paramedics’ subjective uncertainty in terms of their prehospital assessment and treatment of patients suffering from spine injuries.

Methods

Over a period of 17 months participants in a trauma course were asked to complete a standardized anonymous questionnaire about subjective uncertainty of prehospital assessment and management of spinal trauma before participation in that course. Questions about the frequency of application of different immobilization tools and skills training on spinal immobilization were also asked.

Results

A total of 465 paramedics were surveyed. The participants did not indicate any uncertainty about the prehospital diagnosis and treatment of spinal injuries. The feeling of confidence was significantly greater in participants who had already attended another course on structured trauma care before. The participants agreed with the statements that standardized algorithms facilitate teamwork and that there is a need for a protocol for the prehospital treatment of spinal injuries.

Conclusions

Paramedics do not feel uncertain about the prehospital assessment and treatment of spinal injuries. The feeling of confidence in participants who had already attended a course on the treatment of trauma patients before was significantly higher.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the Secretariat at PHTLS Germany and all course coordinators at PHTLS Germany for their support in distributing the questionnaires. We also wish to thank Ms. Geraldine Rauch for her initial advice on biometrics.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Trauma Surgery and Orthopedics, BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Ludwig-Guttmann-Str. 13, 67071, Ludwigshafen, Germany

    M. Kreinest, S. Goller, P. A. Grützner & M. Münzberg

  2. PHTLS Europe Research Group, Offenbach/Queich, Germany

    M. Kreinest, S. Goller, B. Gliwitzky, D. Häske & M. Münzberg

  3. S2-Statistics Services, Berlin, Germany

    M. Küffer

  4. Deutsche Hochschule für Prävention und Gesundheitsmanagement, University of Applied Sciences, Saarbrücken, Germany

    V. Papathanassiou

  5. Faculty of Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    D. Häske

Authors
  1. M. Kreinest
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  2. S. Goller
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  3. B. Gliwitzky
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  4. P. A. Grützner
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  5. M. Küffer
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  6. D. Häske
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  7. V. Papathanassiou
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  8. M. Münzberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Münzberg.

Ethics declarations

This study has been approved by the ethical committee in charge (Ethics Committee of the State Medical Association of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz, Germany) under the reference number 837.371.13 (9056).

Conflict of interest

MKü, VP and PAG confirm having no conflict of interest.

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Kreinest, M., Goller, S., Gliwitzky, B. et al. Expertise of German paramedics concerning the prehospital treatment of patients with spinal trauma. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 43, 371–376 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0682-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0682-5

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