Module 2: Trauma

🎯 Module Objectives

1. Describe the golden hour of trauma care.
2. Identify the phases of trauma death.
3. Explain specific nursing assessments and care related to trauma patients.
4. Describe Massive Hemorrhage Protocol.
5. Describe what to prepare for an emergency procedure.
6. Explain the process of evidence preservation.
7. Describe the anaesthesia implications for trauma patients.
8. Describe the education and discharge planning provided to the patient and family.

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📖 Required Readings

Alexander’s Care of the patient in surgery
16th ed. Ch 28 p.1092-1118
17th ed. Ch 28 p.1089-1115

ORNAC standards 2021
I Pgs 1-21, 3-9, 4-39, 5-22, 5-29, 5-31

ORNAC standards 2023
Competency 5 responds to emergency situations (1-23)
3.2 emergency consent (3-8)
4.9 unlicensed and/or nonemployee visitors to the surgical suite (4-32)
5.4 Death in the OR (5-10)
5.6 Gathering and Preserving Medicolegal evidence in the Surgical Suite (5-16)

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Introduction

Trauma is unexpected, unplanned, unpredictable, and a result of several factors such as:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Work related injuries
• Violence
• Crime

(Gawronski, 2019)

Its unpredictability causes significant challenges to perioperative nurses. The biggest challenges are the need to work fast and efficiently, while ensuring good communication among all health care professionals involved with the trauma patient’s care.

This module provides students with a working knowledge of the mechanism of injury (MOI), which is fundamental to the rapid assessment and preparation of surgery for OR nurses.

(Ross, 2006)