Assessment and treatment of pediatric motor vehicle accident victims in prehospital care
Kakko, Satu; Markkula, Noora (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025111027594
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025111027594
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis was to enhance knowledge of the special features of assessing and treating pediatric trauma patients in prehospital settings.
The thesis was conducted as a descriptive literature review. Previous research and information on the topic were collected from electronic databases and textbooks. The collected data was analyzed using inductive content analysis.
The goal of the thesis was to gain a deeper understanding of the topic and to recognize areas that could benefit from further research.
The findings revealed that while road casualties have decreased, motor vehicle accidents are still a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children worldwide. Paramedics do not feel fully prepared to assess and treat pediatric trauma patients. Reasons for this include, for example, lack of routine when encountering pediatric patients and lack of knowledge of pediatric vital sign normal values. More frequent simulation-based training was thought to improve paramedics’ preparedness to treat children. Children’s anatomy and physiology are different from adults and therefore the assessment and treatment of children requires specific knowledge, equipment and tools. Pediatric care-related quick-reference tools and protocols have been developed to minimize human error.
It was observed that in recent years, not enough research has been done on the subject.
The thesis was conducted as a descriptive literature review. Previous research and information on the topic were collected from electronic databases and textbooks. The collected data was analyzed using inductive content analysis.
The goal of the thesis was to gain a deeper understanding of the topic and to recognize areas that could benefit from further research.
The findings revealed that while road casualties have decreased, motor vehicle accidents are still a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children worldwide. Paramedics do not feel fully prepared to assess and treat pediatric trauma patients. Reasons for this include, for example, lack of routine when encountering pediatric patients and lack of knowledge of pediatric vital sign normal values. More frequent simulation-based training was thought to improve paramedics’ preparedness to treat children. Children’s anatomy and physiology are different from adults and therefore the assessment and treatment of children requires specific knowledge, equipment and tools. Pediatric care-related quick-reference tools and protocols have been developed to minimize human error.
It was observed that in recent years, not enough research has been done on the subject.