Training trauma teams in the Nordic countries: an overview and present status

Background:  During the last decade there has been an increased interest in the organisation and quality of trauma care in the Nordic countries. Still, most patients are initially cared for at hospitals with low caseloads of severe trauma. More than 200 hospitals offer initial care to trauma patients. Training of trauma teams using simulators or simulated patients has evolved in the same period, as one important factor to overcome lack of practical training. This overview describes the present state of trauma team training in the Nordic countries.
Methods:  Members of a Nordic working group on the use of simulation in medicine reviewed present literature on training with simulation and described the present use of team training in their own countries during winter 2004.
Results:  There is an increasing amount of evidence indicating that training of teams with simulation reduces treatment errors and improves performance. The training activities do not need to be complex, but skilled debriefing seems necessary. Few Nordic hospitals train their trauma teams. The training activities vary considerably between and within countries.
Conclusion:  There is considerable evidence supporting an increased use of experience gained in other high-risk domains where training in communication, leadership and decision-making is the focus for safety and improvement efforts. There is a need for more widespread training of trauma teams. The different training activities actually undertaken should be scientifically evaluated.