Determining the priorities for change in paediatric trauma care delivery in NSW, Australia

Kate Curtis, Belinda Kennedy*, Andrew J. A. Holland, Rebecca J. Mitchell, Gary Tall, Holly Smith, Soundappan S. V. Soundappan, Allan Loudfoot, Brian Burns, Michael Dinh

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
137 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Injury remains the leading cause of death and disability for Australian children. There is known variability in the quality of care delivered to injured children in Australia. This study prioritises recommendations developed from an expert review of paediatric trauma cases, for implementation with the aim of improving health service delivery to children sustaining severe injury. Methods: A modified-Delphi study was conducted between October 2018 and February 2019. Two rounds of an online survey to rank the suitability and importance of each of the 26 recommendations was conducted. Final decisions on the priorities for change in the paediatric trauma system was determined by a consensus of ≥80% for importance and/or suitability. Results: One hundred and one participants completed Round 1, and 60 participants completed Round 2 of the modified-Delphi. In Round 1, 13 recommendations reached ≥80% and in round 2, 11 recommendations reached ≥80%. Those ranked highest focussed on pre-hospital airway management, streamlining retrieval and transfer processes, improving hospital nursing ratios and radiology reporting. Conclusion: This modified-Delphi study identified the priority areas for recommended change to the NSW paediatric trauma system. Work to address these areas has the potential to provide more coordinated and timely care to children sustaining severe injury.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)97-104
Number of pages8
JournalAustralasian Emergency Care
Volume23
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020

Bibliographical note

Crown Copyright 2019. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • Emergency nursing
  • Healthcare delivery
  • Injury
  • Paediatric emergency medicine
  • Paediatric trauma

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