Study Shows Surgeons Need Education on Injury Prevention

A study to test the knowledge of injury prevention principles among practicing surgeons, including doctors specializing in trauma care and nurses attending trauma courses, found that the overall percentage of correct answers by the 79 responders was only 50%. The study was published in the August 2001 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Currently, few surgeons receive formal training in the principles of injury prevention and control. The test was designed by members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma in order to identify areas in need of intensified educational efforts. The Committee notes that the most effective treatment for traumatic injuries is to prevent them from occurring. The test was displayed on a specialized touch-screen computer at various surgery and trauma meetings. Participants were asked about their knowledge of trauma epidemiology, such as suicide, domestic violence, bicycle helmet effectiveness, and child safety seat usage.

No significant difference was found between the scores of trauma surgeons and general surgeons, although both scored higher than trauma nurses. The most notable areas of deficient knowledge included child safety seats, the prevalence of suicide, the effectiveness of airbags, and the annual cost of injury in the nation. The authors concluded that the majority of surgeons and nurses need to be educated on some basic principles in order to advance the field of injury prevention and control.




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Journal of the ACS