Trauma Care Initial Assessment and Management in the Emergency Department

The often complex problems of the trauma patient present many challenges to front line emergency staff. Multiple injuries involving many systems of the body require careful and timely prioritisation and intervention in the emergency department. Trauma Care provides emergency nurses with a practical guide to the systematic assessment and management of trauma patients, equipping them with the clinical knowledge and practical skills necessary to initially assess and care for the trauma patient in the emergency department trauma environment. Trauma Care explores the concept of trauma assessment, focusing on patient priorities and interprofessional trauma team working. Individual chapters look at the essential assessment and management issues for each system of the body and specific age related complications. Emphasis is placed on key patient priorities, with acknowledgement to the common pitfalls in initial trauma care. This text will be essential for all emergency nurses, and those working in the emergency department.

Elaine Cole is a Lecturer-Practitioner in Accident & Emergency/Trauma at St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery and Barts and the London NHS Trust, London