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The Trauma TeamUpon arrival at the Trauma Center, all patients are met by the trauma team, which is staffed and ready at all times. The trauma team — a group of specialized healthcare professionals — is organized to provide care in a coordinated and timely manner. The team approach to the care of trauma patients is critical; each team member has a specific role to perform under the direction of the trauma team leader.
Trauma patients are quickly assessed for major injuries. If more than one organ system is injured, a patient is admitted to the trauma service. If a single system is injured, then the appropriate specialty surgical service assumes the care of the patient.
Our highly trained trauma team means that all staff who need to care for patients will be at the patients side in their most critical moment — from the trauma surgeon who performs emergency surgery, if needed, to the neurosurgeon who treats a head injury or the chaplain who waits with family members.
Early intervention by the rehabilitation team allows the evaluation of the patient from a medical and functional perspective, which helps surgeons determine what rehabilitation interventions are needed. A physical medicine and rehabilitation physician (physiatrist) evaluates patients with brain, spinal cord, orthopaedic or multiple trauma injuries in the intensive care unit, sometimes within 24 hours of their injury. Early contact with severely injured persons provides an opportunity for patient and family education about the patient's future rehabilitation needs. These early discussions are well received and help patients achieve their maximum recovery.
Disaster PlanningFroedtert staff is involved in disaster planning for the region by participating in community disaster exercises involving police, emergency medical services and other hospitals. The scenarios differ with each exercise. The hospital simulates victims with by using volunteers or “paper” patients.
Contributing to the CommunityThe staff of the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Trauma Center makes important contributions to the community in a number of ways.
Injury Prevention ProgramsPrevention is the best way to reduce traumatic injuries and save lives. As part of the being the Level 1 Trauma Center, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are committed to community injury prevention education. Froedtert Hospital nurses and Medical College of Wisconsin physicians reach out to the community with programs aimed at preventing behaviors that may result in injury. Programs include:
- Emergency Nurses Cancel Alcohol Related Events (ENCARE) — trauma and emergency nurses at Froedtert present a thought-provoking program to area high school students highlighting the tragic consequences of underage alcohol use.
- Just Drive! — a program aimed at teens highlighting the dangers of distracted driving.
- ThinkFirst — student program on risk-taking behaviors that result in traumatic brain injury/spinal cord injury.
- Forever Changed, a program designed to educate high school students about risk-taking behaviors when driving. In a mock car crash scenario, students act as crash victims, while actual police officers, firefighters, paramedics and Flight for Life staff perform their duties as if the incident was real. Call 414-805-3666 or 800-272-3666 for more information.
- Preventing Falls in Older Adults — offers tips to help older adults make their homes safer to prevent falls, a leading cause of injury for older adults. Call 414-805-3666 or 800-272-3666 for more information.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder ProgramTrauma Center researchers have discovered that one of every four trauma patients experiences stress symptoms that last several months. They also found that patients who experience ongoing stress are very likely to struggle with poor post-injury quality of life.
The Trauma Center responded to these findings by creating the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Program. The goal of the program is to help patients achieve complete recovery – both psychological and physical – from traumatic injury. Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin is one of the first trauma centers in the nation with a clinical instructor with a PhD in Clinical Psychology on staff to assess patients for PTSD.
Professional EducationWith an accredited adult Level I Trauma Center, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are responsible for providing regional leadership on trauma prevention and education. The Trauma Center offers many educational programs for both healthcare professionals, including:
- Annual Trauma/Critical Care Conference designed for nurses, EMTs, paramedics and medical students interested in surgical critical care and trauma
- Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses — trauma care for physicians
- Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) — continuing education for nurses in trauma
- Advanced Trauma Care Nurse course (ATCN) — advanced education for nurses in trauma
- Course in Advanced Trauma Nursing (CATN)
- Lunda lecture — an annual trauma education event for Flight For Life physicians and trauma nurses specialists
- Rehabilitation education
- Trauma surgery residency education
- Trauma fellowship
- Surgical Critical Care fellowship
- EMS semiannual newsletter
Partnership with Wisconsin Air National GuardIn 2007, the Trauma Center at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin formed a partnership with the Wisconsin Air National Guard to train and prepare members of the 128th Air Refueling Wing. This groundbreaking civilian-military partnership marked just the second of its kind in the United States involving a hospital providing training programs to military troops.
About 20 Milwaukee-area Guardsmen with medical backgrounds took part in monthly training, scrubbed in for surgeries, observed trauma cases and honed their skills for battlefield medical care. The partnership allowed our nation’s troops to gain more in-depth experience treating traumatic injuries and other battlefield injuries.
Last Review Date: Feb. 3, 2010 Online Editor(s): Richard Petre |
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