title: Initial evaluation of the "Trauma surgery course".
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The consequence of the low rate of penetrating injuries in Europe and the increase in non-operative management of blunt trauma is a decrease in surgeons' confidence in managing traumatic injuries has led to the need for new didactic tools. The aim of this retrospective study was to present the Corso di Chirurgia del Politrauma (Trauma Surgery Course), developed as a model for teaching operative trauma techniques, and assess its efficacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  the two-day course consisted of theoretical lectures and practical experience on large-sized swine. Data of the first 126 participants were collected and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the 126 general surgeons who had participated in the course judged it to be an efficient model to improve knowledge about the surgical treatment of trauma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A two-day course, focusing on trauma surgery, with lectures and life-like operation situations, represents a model for simulated training and can be useful to improve surgeons' confidence in managing trauma patients. Cooperation between organizers of similar initiatives would be beneficial and could lead to standardizing and improving such courses.
authors.affiliation: Chirurgia d'Urgenza e del Trauma (Head: Dr, Franco Baldoni), Dipartimento Emergenza, Ospedale Maggiore, L,go Nigrisoli 2, 40133 Bologna, Italy. gregorio.tugnoli@ausl.bologna.it.
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tugnoli
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ribaldi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casali
authors.forename: Stefano M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Calderale
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coletti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alifano
authors.forename: Sergio N Forti
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Parri
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biscardi
authors.forename: M Chiara
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldoni