Current State of Trauma Services in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Trauma is a major public health problem in Saudi Arabia and a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in young age groups. In 2018, traumatic injuries caused by road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death after ischemic heart diseases. Therefore, a new road safety system is important to reduce the incidence of road accident trauma. First aid care by bystanders to road accidents must be improved to become an effective part of pre-hospital care and avoid aggravation. Moreover, trauma centers need further training and education to provide a high level of trauma care. However, literature about trauma care in Saudi Arabia is lacking. Thus, this paper aims to provide an overview of the Saudi trauma system, emergency medical services, and healthcare providers’ training and education efforts.

Increased Emergency Calls during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A National Retrospective Study

“…This surge in calls likely relates to the following: (i) An increase in suspected COVID-19 cases due to new guidelines for classifying any patient with cough or fever as infectious, and (ii) fear of transporting patients with fever, cough, or other symptoms of COVID-19 in personal vehicles leading to an increase in calls to EMS for an ambulance [ 16 ]. Saudi Arabia has a high proportion of EMS calls for trauma due to motor vehicle collisions [ 17 ]. Our data showed that the proportion of emergency cases related to trauma markedly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be related to the establishment of different levels of curfew and mobility restriction and the occurrence of Ramadan during the period evaluated.…”

Nontransported Cases after Emergency Medical Service Callout in the Rural and Urban Areas of the Riyadh Region

“…The data indicated that medical and trauma callouts in particular had very high rates of nontransportation in both rural and urban areas. The reasons for this are not possible to determine in a cross-sectional analysis, but studies in Saudi Arabia report a lack of general awareness among the public regarding the role of EMS,[ 2 3 ] and specifically in relation to dealing with routine versus emergency health situations. This confusion may underpin the large numbers of callouts for potentially a relatively minor health concern.…”

“…However, it is possible that some of the issues again stem from the lack of understanding among the general public regarding the role of EMS in Saudi Arabia. [ 2 3 ] Education programs regarding the type of emergencies to call an EMS may assist in reducing the number of callouts that result in nontransportation. This is particularly relevant for the high rates of nontransportation for medical and trauma callouts.…”

“…Across Saudi Arabia, the Red Crescent Authority is the primary provider of EMS for the general community; there are specialist EMS for military and some industrial locations. [ 2 3 15 ] Data were sourced from the Saudi Red Crescent central office in Riyadh city, and it included data from all 78 EMS stations (30 rural/48 urban sites) in the region. In accordance with the geographic classification provided by the Saudi Red Crescent and used on EPR forms, Riyadh city was considered as “urban,” while all other areas of Riyadh region were “rural.”…”

“…Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a vital role in the medical management of disasters, accidents and acute illness, providing rapid response to emergencies and transporting patients to the nearest suitable health-care facility. [ 1 2 3 ] However, EMS does not transport all cases following an emergency call; the literature reports varying rates of nontransportation cases where the EMS was called but ultimately did not transport the patient. [ 4 5 ]…”