Prevention and individual treatment of road traffic injuries in children\r
\r
The Centre for Clinical Research and the Centre for Emergency Training of the employers' liability insurance association hospital BG Klinikum Berlin and the public-benefit association ProBrasil are improving emergency care for children sustaining road traffic injuries in Serra da Capivara in the Brazilian federal state of Piauí by training medical personnel in paediatric emergency trauma care. They are also establishing a prevention programme in the area for raising the awareness of schoolchildren and their parents about the dangers of road traffic and ways to avoid them. \r
Further cooperation partners include Greifswald University Medicine, the State University in Piauí, the Senador Candido Ferraz regional hospital and the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU). \r
\r
Background information\r
\r
Accidents are responsible for nearly 80 per cent of fatalities among children and young people between the ages of 1 and 18 in Brazil, making it the leading cause of mortality in this age group. In Piauí in particular, one of Brazil’s poorest regions, the morbidity and mortality of children in road traffic is significantly higher than in other parts of the country. For the most part, medical personnel does not receive special training for pre-hospital paediatric emergencies. \r
\r
Activities\r
\r
•\tDeveloping a training concept for medical personnel \r
•\tConducting training \r
•\tTraining trainers\r
•\tProcuring equipment and materials for emergency rescue and for the partner hospital\r
•\tDeveloping an awareness-raising concept for accident prevention for children and parents\r
•\tImplementing the concept as part of the teaching curriculum at state schools\r
\r
Results\r
\r
By training multipliers, the project can expand its results, which will allow more medical personnel to undergo training in paediatric emergency medicine on an ongoing basis. To ensure high-quality training, regular supervision training is held between multipliers and experts at the Berlin Centre for Emergency Medicine. By involving the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the training can be extended to additional hospitals in the region. Both parts of the project are to take place on a regular basis to achieve a long-term reduction in the number of road traffic injuries and deaths among children and young people.\r