Question

Trauma is a major healthcare and economic concern because of the loss of life, the societal burden in terms of lost productivity, increased disability of persons, as well as the consumption of healthcare resources. MVCs and homicide are the leading cause of death for individuals 15-24 years of age. A second peak in trauma related incidence occurs at the age of 35-54 and is related to poisonings from prescriptions and/or illegal drugs are the leading cause of unintentional death followed by MVCs for this age group. The third peak is for individuals 65 years related to falls and MVCs.

Individuals with traumatic injury need a lot of support from many individuals.

• Explain the meaning of the "golden hour"?
• Explain the role pastoral services on a trauma team?
• Why is it important to have security officers as part of the trauma team?
• Why is it important to participate in debriefings after significant trauma events or disasters?

Answer 1

1) The golden hour is the period of time following a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical and surgical treatment will prevent death. While initially defined as an hour the exact time period depends on the nature of the injury and can be more than or less than this duration.

2) These professionals serve as hosts, counselors, confidants, and friends to people who have been suddenly thrown into chaos. The pastoral staff at a trauma center also ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of the various medical and nursing staffs.

3) The initiative encourages security guards to be a more integrated part of the care team, actively communicating with patients and clinical staff on hospital units so they can get a better sense of situations that could be potentially violent and intervene before they escalate

4) The process of debriefing helped staff members take time together to identify the personal impact of the traumas and losses they had experienced as a workgroup. Debriefing is one way that managers can help their staff rebalance after a clinical crisis.