Trauma prevention

FigureI feel very fortunate to have career-long involvement in trauma care, including roles in the prehospital setting as an EMT and ski patroller, trauma center-based clinical practice as an RN and APRN, and hospital and state-level trauma leadership. Beyond care delivery, I learned long ago that injury prevention is a cornerstone function of a trauma center and is required for accreditation.1 It is also the right thing to do. The most effective trauma center intervention is preventing injury from occurring in the first place. Situational awareness, understanding risk, and taking stock of personal capabilities are essential elements of effective injury prevention. Over the years, my injury prevention focus has led my husband to quip that I make sure he knows every possible way that he can die whenever we go anywhere together. There may be a kernel of truth to that. My passion to prevent trauma stems from years of taking care of patients and witnessing the devastation of losing loved ones, the pain, suffering, and often permanent disabilities experienced by survivors, as well as the loss of dreams that can no longerbe realized. Nurses should look for teachable moments. Injury prevention education involves informing people of injury risks that they might not consider, reinforcing their knowledge of known risks, and imparting strategies that they can use to protect themselves and their significant others. Over the years, my primary focus has been on preventing trauma's impact to patients and their families, but that focus is incomplete. There is another group to consider in injury prevention...the rescuers. When people make decisions that lead to preventable harm, they place more than themselves at risk. The rescuers who respond also put their own lives on the line. These rescuers may have a duty to respond given their chosen vocation or may be bystanders just trying to help. In any event, one's choices can have consequences for many. The issue of rescuer safety is critically important. Though trauma cannot always be foreseen or prevented, there are indeed situations where sound personal decisions can avert it. We need to safeguard those who have our backs in times of crisis by educating people to understand the need for making prudent choices. Tragedy is compounded when a rescuer dies under circumstances that never should have happened. Until next time, LINDA LASKOWSKI-JONES, MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CEN, NEA-BC, FAWM, FAAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NURSING2024