Epidemiology of trauma patients attended by ambulance paramedics in Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

The trauma incidence rate increased over time and the majority of patients had low-acuity injuries. Focusing research, training and resources solely on high-acuity patients will not cater for the needs of the majority of patients.

Older age is associated with a reduced likelihood of ambulance transport to a trauma centre after major trauma in Perth

“…33 At present, no specific field triage criteria for the management of older adult trauma patients is in use by SJA-WA paramedics. As we have previously highlighted, the incidence of trauma in metropolitan Perth is the highest in those ≥85 years 34 with older adults comprising 35% of the major trauma patients in our current study. It is therefore important that we develop specific prehospital triage criteria to enable the identification of these higher-risk patients in whom TC transport would be beneficial.…”

Motor Vehicle Crash Characteristics That Are Predictive of High Acuity Patients: An Analysis of Linked Ambulance and Crash Data

“…2 Categories may not sum to the total where the crash characteristic was unknown. 3 Vulnerable road users were either motorcyclists (incl. pillion), cyclists or pedestrians.…”

“…No electronic record of assessment, intervention, or clinical case notes;2 Paramedics arrived on-scene but there was no patient present (e.g. patient absconded);3 Use of the ambulance for other than delivering patient care, such as transport of equipment;4 Patient transfer between hospitals; 5 Ambulance dispatched but then received a higher priority job or another crew was closer to the scene;6 Individual calls from the scene and states they no longer require the ambulance; 7 Call for an ambulance is falsely and deliberately made;8 Ambulance is sent but cannot locate the MVC. Crash records n=299,601…”

Fall from Standing Height, or Greater, and Mortality among Ambulance-Transported Patients with Major Trauma from Falls

“…Of the four tertiary and six secondary hospitals in Perth, five provide data to the WA State Trauma Registry (4). The clinical cohort described in this study was SJWA ambulance-transported patients with WA State Trauma Registry records of major trauma from falls and injury severity score (ISS) greater than 15 (4).…”

“…Falls have a higher risk of death than other causes of major trauma (1). A recent study of ambulance-transported patients identified falls as the most common cause of major trauma in metropolitan Perth (4). Our study further examines the falls sub-group (4).…”