Nursing and medical staff knowledge regarding the monitoring and management of accidental or exposure hypothermia in adult major trauma patients.
Recording a patient's vital signs is a basic requirement that in part informs clinical decision-making. Practice suggests that recording a trauma patient's temperature is occasionally overlooked in the emergency department. A staff survey was undertaken to gain an appreciation of knowledge and understanding of the issues that surround accidental or exposure hypothermia in trauma patients. Results demonstrate that nurses and doctors are unsure of how to define hypothermia and are not conversant with simple ways to prevent heat loss or rewarm patients. Complications from hypothermia such as coagulopathy and metabolic acidosis were seldom identified. Issues that limit staff recording temperature include patient access and acuity, lack of knowledge and confidence and access to temperature-measuring devices. These results emphasize the need for regular education. Implications for clinical practice were considered; an algorithm to guide staff on ways to improve the monitoring and management of temperature in trauma patients was developed. Opportunities for ongoing and further research were identified.
Ireland
Sharyn
S
Emergency and Trauma Centre, The Alfred, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. sharyn_i@atronics.com.au
Murdoch
Katie
K
Ormrod
Paul
P
Saliba
Emma
E
Endacott
Ruth
R
Fitzgerald
Mark
M
Cameron
Peter
P
D004496:Education, Continuing; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D017694:Rewarming; D013821:Thermometers; D014739:Victoria; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications*