Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of triage in the standard Clinical Practice Guide (CPG) for multiple trauma patients is to perform the primary and secondary evaluations in the quickest and shortest possible time with minimal errors and the best quality in the emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVE: In this study, a practical program for a coordinated management of multiple trauma patients in the ED has been provided by using the CPG guide. The impact of its implementation on the multiple trauma patients' management was evaluated. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014 and 2015 in Isfahan's Al-Zahra hospital ED. Administration and management of multiple trauma patients had been prepared before the implementation of the plan based on standard clinical methods of implementation in a way that used a 12-step protocol for the practical guide. This protocol was designed as a flowchart and the results before and after its implementation were evaluated. RESULTS: In this study, 100 multiple trauma patients before and after the implementation of the protocol were studied. The mean age of the patients and other baseline characteristics of studied patients in the two periods before and after implantation of the CPG were not significantly different (p > 0.05). The frequency of intubation (p = 0.016) and sent to the operating room (p < 0.001) were different in the two study periods. However, hospitalization in the ICU (p = 0.35) and death (p = 0.73) before and after implementation of the protocol were not statistically different. The time before examination by the EM physicians was significantly lower in all triage levels after CPG implementation. Meanwhile, no change in time elapsed occurred for the surgeons except for the patients in level 2 of triage. CONCLUSION: Implementation of the strategic plan of CPG lead to a significant reduction in waiting time for visits by emergency medicine services and other specialized services, increased the deployment of patients needing surgery, and reducing the time spent in the ED.