Remote supported trauma care: Understanding the situation from afar

Abstract

We present results from a study of information needs when teleconsultation is used in trauma resuscitation. Three trauma team training sessions including 14 patient cases were observed together with field studies at emergency units. Technology probes like headcams and visualization of data usually available in the trauma room were used to better understand what information that is important or not for the remote expert to achieve a satisfactory Situation Awareness to support the trauma resuscitation. It was found that the two major information sources that the remote expert relies on are the vital signs and an overview, not necessarily with high video quality, of the team in the trauma room.