Epidemiology Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is the leading cause of death in Australians aged 1–44 years?
Trauma, particularly road traffic injuries.
What is the significance of epidemiology in trauma?
It helps understand trauma as both a clinical and public health problem, supporting prevention and management strategies.
How is the burden of injury typically measured in road trauma and sports injury?
A: Road trauma uses mortality rates; sports injuries use hospitalisations and need for medical care.
Q: What percentage of global injury victims do not survive each year?
A: Approximately 4.8 million of the 970 million people injured globally each year.
Q: What disparities exist in injury deaths between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians aged 25–44?
A: Indigenous men and women experience significantly higher proportions of injury-related deaths compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
Q: What is a fundamental perception for injury prevention programs?
A: That trauma is preventable, not random.
Q: Name three key injury prevention strategies that have reduced trauma mortality.
A: 1. Seatbelt and helmet laws
2. Speed limits and drink driving laws
3. Improved vehicle safety standards
Q: What is the goal of a trauma system?
A: To get the “Right Patient to the Right Place at the Right Time.”
Q: What are the four phases of the trauma care continuum?
A: Injury prevention, prehospital care, acute care, and post-hospital rehabilitation.
Q: What services are provided by a Level I trauma facility?
A: Full spectrum of trauma care including resuscitation, surgery, and rehabilitation.
Q: What differentiates Level II from Level I trauma centres?
A: Level II provides equivalent clinical care but lacks the same research and regional leadership roles.
Q: What is the primary function of a Level IV trauma centre?
A: Initial management and stabilisation of major trauma for transfer to a higher-level facility.
Q: How much can trauma centres reduce trauma mortality?
A: Population-based studies suggest a 15–20% reduction.
Q: How many major trauma cases occur annually in Western Australia (WA)?
A: Approximately 750 cases.
Q: What is a major issue in trauma outcomes between rural and metropolitan WA?
A: Mortality is up to 4 times higher in rural and remote WA.
Q: What are the six streams in the WA trauma system?
A: Major, Metropolitan, Urban, Regional, Rural, and Remote Trauma Services.
Which hospitals are major trauma centres in WA?
Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) for adults; Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) for paediatrics.
Q: What criteria determine where a trauma patient should be taken?
A: Physiological signs, anatomical injuries, and mechanism of injury.
Q: When should adult patients with major trauma be taken to RPH?
A: Always, unless stabilisation at the nearest facility is urgently required.
Q: Where should paediatric trauma patients under 14 years be taken?
A: Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH), unless stabilisation is required first.
Q: What tool collects national trauma data in Australia?
A: The Australian Trauma Registry.
