Administration of analgesics to prehospital patients with suspected fractures was rare. Prehospital identification and treatment of pain for patients with musculoskeletal trauma could be improved.

No abstract

Objective: The RPM triage score ranges from 0 to 12 and can be rapidly determined from patient respiratory rate, pulse rate, and motor score. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the prehospital RPM score correlates with traditional methods used to determine whether a trauma team should be activated before the arrival of a trauma patient and whether the RPM score correlates with patient mortality and need for emergent surgery. Methods: This retrospective study was performed at a Level 1 trauma center with accreditation for both adult and pediatric trauma patients. Data were obtained from an institutional trauma registry. Data analyzed included prehospital components of the RPM score [respiratory rate, heart rate, and motor score (from Glasgow Coma Score-motor component)], whether a trauma team was activated prior to patient arrival, patient mortality, and whether the patient required surgery. Results: 460 patients were included in the study. Of these patients, 299 (65%) were male, with a mean age of 39 (range 1-95). When comparing patients who had prehospital RPM £ 9 with those who had RPM greater than 9, respectively, activation of a trauma team occurred in 96% vs. 57% (p = 0.001), PPV 96% [95% CI 87-100]; death occurred in 25% vs. 3% (p = 0.001), NPV 97% [95% CI 94-98]; and surgery was required in 27% vs. 27% (p = 0.47). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, a prehospital RPM score £ 9 strongly correlated with activation of a trauma team and a prehospital RPM score >9 strongly correlated with patient survival.