Trauma Nursing Seminar

8:30am - Registration and Refreshments

9:00am

Trauma and Emergency in Australia – Setting the Scene

This first session sets the scene for modern trauma management in an Australian context:

• Special considerations to take into account when nursing in rural versus metropolitan settings
• Defining the pre-hospital role and understanding the significance of the “mechanism of injury”
• How to prepare to receive a trauma patient
• Reviewing the nurse's role in trauma care
• A look at the multidisciplinary team and the different roles within it

10:30am - Morning Tea

11:00am

Essential Components of the Primary Survey

Initial assessment and management of the person who has suffered a trauma is critical to their outcome and recovery. This session will discuss the rapid systematic primary survey, which is based on established frameworks. Case scenarios will be used to demonstrate actions within different contexts. It includes:

• Cervical spine stabilisation
• Type of trauma, danger, and response
• A - Airway
• B - Breathing and oxygenation
• C - Circulation and bleeding
• D - Disability and delegating tasks

12:30pm - Lunch and Networking

1:30pm

Secondary Assessment

Secondary assessment occurs once stabilisation and resuscitation have occurred as required. This session will cover:

• Head to toe examination
• History
• Toys and gadget
• Documentation

2:15pm

Shock and Shock Syndromes – Care and Management

Shock is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent treatment. This session will explain the different types of shock and give an overview of the management of shock, including haemorrhagic shock, the maintenance of adequate cellular oxygenation, and case scenarios.

3:15pm - Afternoon Tea

3:45pm

Spinal Trauma – When to Apply the Collar

This session looks at the issue of spinal preservation during traumatic events and the minimisation of neurological damage. It will give an overview of current treatment of spinal trauma and includes the following topics:

• General guidelines for the initial assessment and nursing management of spinal injury
• Pathophysiology as the basis of patient assessment findings
• Spinal shock versus neurogenic shock

4:30pm

Musculoskeletal Trauma

This session provides an exploration of the nurse's role regarding extremity trauma, looking at:

• Assessment and diagnosis in musculoskeletal trauma
• Special considerations relating to the management of complex fractures
• How age affects the patterns and severity of musculoskeletal injuries

5:00pm - Close of Day One of Seminar

9:00am - Commencement of Day Two

9:00am

Head Trauma and Raised Intracranial Pressure

Head trauma is the leading cause of death in trauma patients. Rapid assessment and management of a patient with head trauma remain the mainstay of prompt and effective treatment. This session will look at:

• The changes that occur in vital signs
• Glasgow Coma Scale and relevant documentation
• The nurse's role in prevention of secondary head injury
• Intracranial pressure changes

9:45am

Pelvic and Abdominal Trauma

Pelvic and abdominal trauma can lead to disability and be life-threatening. These presentations are often complex, involving bone and soft tissue injuries to the pelvis and damage to the organs that are encased within. Causes include road traffic injuries, assault, falls, and crush injuries. This session will examine the significance of abdominal trauma and the role of the nurse, including:

• Main classifications of pelvic injuries
• Assessing a person with a suspected pelvic injury
• Emergency management procedures for suspected pelvic injury

10:30am - Morning Tea

11:00am

Thoracic Trauma

Maintenance of life relies on the organs located in the thoracic cavity. Trauma to this region can be life-threatening and understanding the types of injury that can occur here, along with appropriate and timely management, can be life-saving. This session reviews chest trauma and looks at management priorities. Topics include:

• Assessing and identifying traumatic chest injuries
• Priorities in pneumo-haemothorax management
• How to understand and plan effective pain management strategies for chest injuries

11:45am

Traumatic Cardiac Arrest

This session delves into the current clinical concepts with the management of traumatic cardiac arrest. The recommendations from the Australian Resuscitation Council outline a different approach to this life-threatening event. The science and evidence behind these management principles are explained with practical use of current traumatic cardiac arrest treatment algorithms.

12:30pm - Lunch and Networking

1:30pm

Burns and Extreme Thermal Injuries

Burns can result from a number of environmental causes, such as flames, electricity, and chemicals. Hypothermia is also a potentially fatal condition. This session looks at the priorities of care for environmental thermal injuries and includes:

• Assessment of burn injuries, including burn depth and area
• Initial management of a thermal injury, including specifics of fluid resuscitation
• Special considerations in the management of the burns patient
• Management of patients with hypothermia

2:30pm

Paediatric Trauma

A brief look at some of the special considerations that nurses need to be aware of when managing children who have sustained trauma, including:

• Assessing the paediatric patient
• Key considerations in trauma management of an injured child
• Life-support considerations

3:00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee

3:30pm

Trauma in Older Adults

Older adults who present with trauma require special consideration in a number of areas. This session will examine:

• Identification of the implications of chronic illness and its management in trauma
• Pathophysiology as the basis of elder response to trauma
• How to identify and report trauma caused by elder abuse

4:00pm

Pregnant Women and Trauma

The changes in a woman's physiology during pregnancy present special challenges to the trauma clinician. This session will explore the importance of understanding these changes in order to effectively treat the pregnant woman and will cover:

• Assessment in pregnancy
• The impact of the growing uterus and aortocaval compression (supine hypotensive syndrome) on trauma care
• Domestic violence
• Medication management in pregnancy

4:30pm

Putting it All Together

This final session will be presented as interactive case studies designed to encourage participants to explore and apply current trauma management principles introduced over the last two days. Participants will be able to contribute to the nursing care of multi-trauma patients in two case studies, covering adult and paediatric examples.

5:00pm - Close of Seminar and Evaluations