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The Queensland Trauma Committee “What is the mechanism for the injury? Is there anything that could be changed to reduce the rate of injury such as product design?”
The Queensland Trauma Committee (QTC) is a longstanding sub-committee of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS). It reports to the RACS Trauma Committee (bi-national) and the Queensland State Committee (QSC). QTC’s purpose is to contribute to injury prevention and related matters of public interest, and support surgeons in trauma care. The Trauma Committee’s work is broad, including areas such as road trauma, alcohol-related trauma, falls in the elderly, and domestic violence. The areas of greatest significance are defined by the Trauma Committee. QTC’s membership is made up of senior representatives of the Queensland Statewide Trauma Clinical Network (STCN), the Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI), the Queensland Audit of Surgical Mortality, Queensland Police and Ambulance Services, the judiciary, Queensland Retrieval Services, Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ), and a wide range of surgeons. Dr Matthew Hope (pictured, right) has been Chair of QTC since 2017. Based in Brisbane, he’s an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in foot and ankle surgery. He also sits on the RACS Trauma Committee and the Australian Orthopaedic Association Executive Committee. Dr Hope says of his work with QTC: “It’s interesting and it takes you out of the sphere of clinical practice, in which we can all get tied up. I’m seeing many injuries in my work. What is the mechanism for the injury? Is there anything that could be changed to reduce the rate of injury such as product design?” Activities of QTC over the past 30 years have involved investigating blood alcohol levels associated with driving and working to mandate seat belts and child restraints. More recently, QTC has reviewed quad bike injuries, with a focus on rollover prevention. In 2020, quad bikes were the most common cause of on-farm fatalities. Over a 10-year period, QTC has been associated with changing safety regulations for quad bikes, in consultation with various organisations, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). In October 2021, legislation was finally passed requiring all new quad bikes to have rollover protection.
