title: Swiss multidisciplinary and multilingual experience of the Advanced Trauma Life Support course:  lessons for Europe.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Courses in the Advanced Trauma Life Support are a well-accepted concept throughout the world for training in the emergency treatment of polytraumatized patients. Switzerland, a multilingual country with a long tradition of multidisciplinary collaboration in trauma care, introduced its first student courses in 1998. Unlike some countries where the courses are attended only by surgeons, instructors and students in Switzerland include surgeons, anaesthetists and physicians from other specialties.
  
  
  METHODS
  Course evaluation assessments and instructor and student demographic data were analysed retrospectively using univariate analyses (Pearson correlation), multivariate analysis of variance, with post-hoc analysis and Bonferroni correction, and stepwise linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1998 and 2003, 922 students attended 58 courses available for evaluation, with 22 338 ratings of different modules. Students rated practical (r=0.076) instruction significantly better than lectures (r=-0.072), gave better rating for women instructors (r=0.026) and for instructors teaching outside their specialty (r=-0.027). Women and participants in French-speaking courses gave better ratings. Ratings by anaesthetists were more critical than by surgeons and students from other specialties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The practical format of Advanced Trauma Life Support courses is appreciated by students, and the involvement of anaesthetists, general practitioners and other specialists as instructors is successful. Course rating was influenced by chosen specialty, sex and language of the students, and this should be taken into consideration when evaluating course modules and instructors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Bern University Hospital, Inselspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Monika Brodmann
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Maeder
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Germann
authors.forename: Vanessa M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Banz
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amsler
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Aristomenis K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Exadaktylos
mesh_terms: D022561:Advanced Cardiac Life Support / Q000193:education*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D014947:Wounds and Injuries