The appropriate management of road accident casualties after an impact crucially increases the probability and quality of survival. Post crash care aims to avoid preventable death, limit the severity of injuries, ensure the optimal functioning of crash victims, and help to integrate them back into their community. This report presents the results of a review of post impact care by a working group of medical experts from EU countries, to consider its state of the art and scope for further action and improvement. It first examines post impact care casualty statistics, by covering: unsurvivable injuries, the definition of fatalities, minor injuries, the accuracy of the statistics, epidemiological information, and the effect of post impact care. It then considers the chain of help to patients injured in road accidents. Lay bystanders can play a crucial part by taking appropriate forms of immediate action. The European telephone number 112 for contacting emergency services should be applied and publicised within the EU. Adequate pre-hospital medical care and trauma care is best conducted through national or regional trauma systems. Teams managing trauma care in hospitals need adequate training. Effective trauma care includes early rehabilitation in reducing disability, and needs to address post-traumatic stress disorder.
Abstract