Innovative trauma service saves lives around the world
Nominated category: Education and Training Award
The standard mortality ratio for military personnel has fallen consistently since 1999 reflecting an improved service in trauma care which can be attributed to new clinical practices developed and spearheaded by the Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine (ADMEM).
Over the years, ADMEM has developed and implemented a wide range of innovative combat casualty care training ranging from first aid through to field hospital care that benefit patients by improving safety and enhancing outcome following critical injury or illness
Training courses developed by AMEM personnel have been successfully transferred into civilian trauma and disaster medicine training programmes which have been spread internationally to benefit patients across 20 countries. Such has been the success of ADMEM’s disaster medical training programmes that they have been adopted by both NATO and the UN, providing an essential response framework to a wide civil and military international community in both developed and developing countries.
To facilitate the improvement services, ADMEM co-ordinates weekly multidisciplinary clinical teleconferences with deployed clinicians and collates all data relating to interventions and outcomes for British combat casualties. This has generated the unique environment in which to dynamically monitor effectiveness of training and to immediately modify course content or delivery in response to observed practice. ADMEM has driven the adoption of new equipment into DMD practice, providing the supporting bridging training to enhance existing courses.
There is no comparable emergency medical training programme in the UK civilian setting this flexible and no component of the NHS approaches organisational learning so comprehensively and proactively to the early management of severe trauma. The scope of ADMEM’s partnership programme influences to develop and lead disaster medicine training for both military and civilian audiences across four continents is unparalleled.