I can ’ t thank all the staff enough . You have made a very traumatic situation a breeze . I will never forget the support .”
I can ’ t thank all the staff enough . You have made a very traumatic situation a breeze . I will never forget the support .”
lower limb injury , resulting in non-weight bearing status , are assessed by occupational therapy prior to discharge home , to facilitate independence . Nineteen Paediatric Care Measures were completed and evaluated :
• 73 % of responses indicated the therapist was excellent at making the child or young person at ease during the initial interaction , letting them talk and tell their story , explaining things and helping them take control .
• 84 % indicated that the therapist was excellent in listening to the child ’ s concerns and making a plan .
• 89 % indicated that the therapist was excellent in showing care and compassion and being positive .
Comments from the returned Paediatric Care Measures included : ‘ I can ’ t thank all the staff enough . You have made a very traumatic situation a breeze . I will never forget the support ’; and ‘ The therapist was very friendly and helpful and made me fell less nervous and scared about using specialist equipment .’
A trauma prevention initiative was developed with a home safety presentation to the Early Years Centres , which have been well received – all those attending said that they would recommend the talk to others , while 55 % reported an increased level of awareness of potential risks .
The remaining 45 % felt that they were already aware of the information presented ; they tended
© Rawpixel via Getty Images to have older children and we wonder if this impacted on levels of knowledge in this area .
When asked , everyone reported that , due to the presentation , they planned to make changes in their home to reduce the risk of accidental injury . This shows that despite varying levels of knowledge about the risks , the presentation has acted as a prompt for everyone attending to make changes in their home to reduce accidental injury , which is felt to be the most important outcome of this study .
Feedback from early years providers has also been very positive , with one centre manager stating that this could not have come at a better time as they had recently had three children taken to hospital following burns sustained at home , and another who had lost the tip of a finger due to entrapment in a door in his house .
Next steps
The plan is to review year one progress with the driver diagram tests of change and identify further areas to stop , start and continue .
We also plan to consolidate new practices introduced and continue to evaluate parents / carers and the young persons ’ experience of our service .
Outcome measures will be reviewed , with the possibility of using the TOMs universally for all trauma admissions . We will continue to expand current under-fives trauma prevention talks throughout Edinburgh , with potentially more dropin type sessions . And we plan to consider further areas for trauma prevention with adolescents .
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Scottish Government ( 2016 ) Ready to act : A transformational plan for children and young people , their parents , carers and families who require support from allied health professionals ( AHPs ). Available at bit . ly / 3IYUpWS [ accessed 6 June 2023 ].
Scottish Trauma Network ( 2017 ) Saving lives , giving life back , Dr Catherine Calderwood , Chief Medical Officer , National Trauma Implementation group , January 2017 . Available at bit . ly / 3IYZJtk [ accessed 6 June 2023 ].
Scottish Trauma Network ( 2013 ) National Implementation Plan . Available at bit . ly / 3Nf5SnW [ accessed 6 June 2023 ].
Words KATIE BRUCE , CYPOT Advanced Practitioner , Major Trauma Service , Royal Hospital for Children and Young People , Edinburgh , email katie . bruce @ nhslothian . scot . nhs . uk
44 OTnews June 2023