Participants' perception of the AIIMS Trauma Assessment and Management (ATAM) course for management of polytrauma: A multi-institutional experience from India.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In India, the mortality due to polytrauma after road traffic injuries is high and there is a need to train medical and paramedical personnel. The AIIMS Trauma Assessment and Management (ATAM) course was developed at the Apex Trauma Centre of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi to sensitize medical personnel with initial assessment and management of polytrauma victims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on knowledge and skills and also evaluate the feedback and the perception of the participants of the ATAM course. METHODS: The course was conducted for doctors, nurses and other paramedical/allied professionals in five tertiary level centres associated to medical colleges from geographically diverse locations (Anand, Bengaluru, Delhi, Lucknow and Thrissur). Cognitive knowledge was assessed using pre-training and post-training multiple choice question (MCQ) tests. The participants also self-rated their level of knowledge, skill, confidence and capability (Numerical rating scale of 1-10). Post-training feedback was obtained from the participants using a five-point Likert scale response. RESULTS: 26 ATAM courses were conducted by 68 course instructors and attended by 780 participants. These participants include 40.4% doctors, 44.2% nurses, 4.7% paramedical technicians, 4.2% medical students and 6.4% paramedical and allied health professionals. There was significant improvement (p < 0.0001) in the cognitive knowledge, skill, confidence and capability of the participants. 85%-86% of the participants strongly agreed or agreed that the course content was effective and 85% of participants perceived that the course was excellent or very good. CONCLUSION: The ATAM course had a positive impact on the knowledge, skills, confidence and capability of health caregivers attending the course. The ATAM course is an effective, practical and favourable option that is tailored to the polytrauma training needs of India. We recommend widespread dissemination of this course.