Name
#135 Presence and Utilization of Updated ACS-COT Field Triage Guidelines for the Injured Patient in Current Literature; Literature Review
Speakers
Ms. Isabelle Bonita . , National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Uniformed Services University
Ms. Norma Quintanilla
Ms. Norma Quintanilla
Content Presented on Behalf of
Uniformed Services University
Services/Agencies represented
Uniformed Services University (USU)
Session Type
Posters
Room#/Location
Prince Georges Exhibit Hall A/B
Focus Areas/Topics
Trending/Hot Topics or Other not listed
Learning Outcomes
1. Following this session, the attendee will be able to summarize the recently updated 2021 Field Triage Trauma Guidelines and define purpose and utilization in the pre-hospital care field by EMS personnel.
2. Following this session, the attendee will be able to discuss the current use of the updated Field Triage Guidelines in current literature and consider future trends of the utilization of the guidelines in medical literature relating to the triage of injured patients.
3. Following this session, the attendee will be able to analyze the implications of the use of and promotion of the Field Triage Trauma guidelines within current literature, as well as the potential consequences of the lack of utilization and promotion of the updated Field Triage Guidelines on regional trauma systems and patient care.
2. Following this session, the attendee will be able to discuss the current use of the updated Field Triage Guidelines in current literature and consider future trends of the utilization of the guidelines in medical literature relating to the triage of injured patients.
3. Following this session, the attendee will be able to analyze the implications of the use of and promotion of the Field Triage Trauma guidelines within current literature, as well as the potential consequences of the lack of utilization and promotion of the updated Field Triage Guidelines on regional trauma systems and patient care.
CE/CME Session
CE/CME Session
Session Currently Live
Description
Introduction: Accidental injury remains one of the leading causes of death and disability of young adults and children. First responders and EMS personnel are trained to identify and treat serious injuries, as well as make the most appropriate hospital transport decisions for moderately and severely injured patients. Due to the wide range of possible injuries and severity of patient conditions associated with different injuries, the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma releases updated Field Triage guidelines for EMS personnel in order to improve the transport dispositions for severely injured patients to trauma centers, while improving rates of overtriage and undertriage.
These guidelines are updated every 5-10 years, with the most recent guidelines, The National Guideline for the Field Triage of Injured Patients, being released in 2021. These guidelines include transport recommendations based on criteria of anatomical findings, vital signs, and special considerations such as mechanism of injury and EMS clinician judgment. These guidelines are widely recognized as the standard for determining the transport dispositions of patients at risk for severe injury, and are adopted by many state EMS protocols.
The dispersal and use of these guidelines remains an important area of investigation, as these guidelines are not required to be included in state and local EMS protocols, and remain the standard of evidence-based triage guidelines for injured patients. To understand the use and promotion of the most recent 2021 guidelines, the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health has conducted a literature review to include a search of all relevant literature that discusses the promotion, implementation, and utilization of the 2021 Field Triage Guidelines.
Materials/Methods: A literature search including both gray and white literature was conducted, and an annotated bibliography was created to determine the presence of the updates to the Field Triage Trauma Guidelines in current literature since their publication in 2021.
Results: The literature search yielded 59 articles that included a wide variety of levels of reference to the 2021 Field Triage Trauma updates. These mentions ranged from simple citations of the recent updates to comments on specific updated triage criteria, with the most common criteria being referenced being the vital sign and EMS clinician judgment criteria. This search also resulted in further insight about the possible future trends in the use of the 2021 Field Triage Guidelines in medical literature relating to the treatment and transport of severely injured patients.