Assessment of the status of resources for essential trauma care in Hanoi and Khanh Hoa, Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
The World Health Organization and the International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care have published the Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care. This provides recommendations for the human and physical resources needed to provide an adequate, essential level of trauma care services in countries at all economic levels worldwide. We sought to use this set of recommendations as a basis to assess the trauma care capabilities in two locations in Vietnam and thus to identify affordable and sustainable methods to strengthen trauma care nationwide.


METHODS
A needs assessment tool was created that incorporated the recommendations of the Guidelines. This was used to conduct in-depth, onsite evaluations of 11 health care facilities in Hanoi and Khanh Hoa Province, including commune health stations, district hospitals, provincial hospitals, and a central hospital.


RESULTS
Resources for trauma care were mostly adequate at provincial and central hospitals. There were several deficiencies at the district hospitals and especially at commune health stations. These included low level of trauma related training and shortages of supplies and equipment. In many cases these shortages were of low-cost items. However, in general, capabilities had improved compared with prior evaluations.


CONCLUSIONS
This study has identified several low-cost ways in which to strengthen trauma care in Vietnam. These include greater use of continuing education courses for trauma care and more attention to trauma related curriculum in schools of medicine and nursing. These also include defining and assuring the availability of a core set of essential trauma related equipment and supplies. A policy recommendation that follows from the above findings is the need for programs to strengthen the organization and planning for trauma care.
St. Paul Hospital, 12 Chu Van An, Hanoi, Vietnam. ntsonsp@gmail.com
Nguyen Thai
NT
Son
Nguyen Hoai
NH
Thu
Nguyen Thi Hong
NT
Tu
Charles
C
Mock
D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000592:standards*; D006268:Health Facilities / Q000592:standards*; D058016:Health Facility Administration; D006295:Health Resources / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014744:Vietnam