IATSIC Trauma Surgery

Report IATSIC

Christine Gaarder, President IATSIC

Trauma is teamwork! The critically injured patient requires and deserves the same quality of care wherever the injury takes place. Caring for the severely injured is challenging, but also one of the most rewarding and exciting areas to work in. Optimizing trauma care includes developing and implementing trauma systems, making sure every contributor in the trauma chain of survival – from the scene through hospital care to rehabilitation, has the required competence and communication skills. It also includes developing quality

improvement and reserach programs. And this everyday system has to work during mass casualty situations such as disasters and conflicts.

Join us in IATSIC, the largest multidisciplinary international trauma society, aiming at improving trauma care globally. IATSIC is moving forward and our main ambitions lie within the areas of education, research, communication and advocacy.

Education

By the end of 2018, approximately 100 DSTC courses will have been organized since the beginning of 2017, and the courses currently run in more than 30 countries. Since anaesthetists formally joined IATSIC and the DATC committee was created, active work has been going on to align the surgical and anaesthesiologic aspects of this vital teamwork. Revised slides and a new Edition of the DSTC manual are expected in 2019. If you are engaged in trauma care and like to teach, you belong as a member in IATSIC!

Global engagement

All countries need trauma educational programs. Not all countries are able to or can afford formal DSTC/DATC courses. We are currently working on other course concepts and being able to offer adjusted educational programs for any country in the world within their resource setting.

Global engagement for the severely injured implies working on educational programs specifically developed for mass casualty incidents like disasters and conflicts. IATSIC will be working on adding a generic disaster preparedness training module to the portfolio.

Recently, an MoU between IATSIC and ICRC was signed, and the aim is to cooperate concerning teaching material, educational concepts, and also possibly to become a hub for recruitment of skilled and experienced clinicians for future missions. IATSIC hopes this cooperation can inspire other agencies to join as well.

Research

The most recent ambition of IATSIC is to work towards becoming a research hub for trauma, aiming specifically at facilitating trauma research projects in LMICs. Watch this space!

Communication

Our website has obvious potential for improvement. We want young trauma interested clinicians to join and to help us make our website a strong communication platform, providing exchange of experience and ideas, interesting publications, information about ongoing activities and exchange programs, in addition to the upcoming congress and planned courses. You can really make a difference! Maybe

we can tempt students from the associated IASSS to join us and be our social media representative?

The next WCS will take place in Krakow 11th to 15th August 2019. The IATSIC program runs the full 4 days and we are extremely excited about the content – amazing presenters, a variety of topics, and the excitement lasts until the very last session on Thursday. Check the program and join us in beautiful Krakow. There will be an IATSIC dinner on Tuesday evening. For DSTC course directors and instructors there will also be a pre-congress workshop on the Sunday.

IMPORTANT NOTICE With this we also remind all IATSIC members to book your hotel rooms early. IATSIC has chosen the charming Hotel Unicus Palace as their society hotel (www.hotelunicuspalace.pl). We have negotiated the rates and have reserved the whole hotel. You just need to email the hotel (kzemla@ hotelunicuspalace.pl) and quote IATSIC as the reference. Mark the dates in your calendar already, book your hotel room and help us make this a memorable event!

Sincerely Christine Gaarder, President, IATSIC On behalf of the IATSIC Executive Committee