The Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation Pediatric Trauma Program recently hosted a pediatric trauma training session to improve performance and test system processes.
Trauma simulations allow multidisciplinary clinical care teams across the continuum — from the emergency department to perioperative and critical care — to test high-acuity, low-frequency scenarios. The exercises help teams identify opportunities to improve outcomes for injured children.
The scenario focused on the coordinated management of a child with a significant head injury who required emergent transfer to the operating room for surgical intervention.
The case involved the pediatric transport, emergency department, pediatric surgery, neurosurgery, and operating room teams, including anesthesia staff.
Dr. Marc Auerbach, MD, MSc, professor of pediatrics (emergency medicine) and Sofia Athanasopoulou, MD, instructor of pediatrics, led the simulation as facilitators.
Participating leaders included:
- Patricia Morrell, RN, pediatric trauma program manager
- Matthew Hornick, MD, pediatric trauma medical director
- Caitlyn Poach, RN, pediatric trauma PI coordinator
- Jeff Doyle, children’s surgery verification program manager
- Nina Rainville, RN, children’s perioperative APSM
- Michael DiLuna, MD, pediatric neurosurgery
Staff from the children’s emergency department, the critical care transport team, and the children's operating room also participated.