Introduction: Adequate (predeployment) training of the nowadays highly specialized Western military surgical teams is vital to ensure a broad range of surgical skills to treat combat casualties. This survey study aimed to assess the self-perceived preparedness, training needs, deployment experience, and post-deployment impact of surgical teams deployed with the Danish, Dutch, or Finnish Armed Forces. Study findings may facilitate a customized predeployment training.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The most complex injuries are usually least often encountered by trauma team members, limiting learning opportunities at work. Identifying teaching formats that enhance trauma skills can guide future curricula. This study evaluates self-assessed technical and nontechnical trauma skills and their integration into novel work situations for multidisciplinary trauma masterclass participants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnnually, a vast number of patients visits the emergency department for acute wounds. Many wound classification systems exist, but often these were not originally designed for acute wounds. This study aimed to assess the most frequently used classifications for acute wounds in the Netherlands and the interobserver variability of the Gustilo Anderson wound classification (GAWC) and Red Cross wound classification (RCWC) in acute wounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Humanitarian healthcare workers are indispensable for treating weapon-wounded patients in armed conflict, and the international humanitarian community should ensure adequate preparedness for this task. This study aims to assess deployed humanitarian healthcare workers' self-perceived preparedness, training requirements and mental support needs.
Methods: Medical professionals deployed with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) between October 2018 and June 2020 were invited to participate in this longitudinal questionnaire.
Background: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) implemented the Red Cross wound classification (RCWC) to quickly assess the severity of a wound in conflict settings. A subdivision into wound grades derived from the RCWC consists of grades 1, 2, and 3, and represents low, major, and massive energy transfer, respectively, to the injured tissue. The aim of this observational study is to assess whether the Red Cross wound grade of a pediatric patient's wound correlates with patient outcomes.
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