Recent Issues and Advances in Aeromedical Evacuation (MEDEVAC)

K-4
ATLS courses are conducted in
accordance with the precepts of
A CS- COT.
Presentations of lecture contents
and performance of technical skills
must adhere to the national
standards and minimum criteria of
ACS-COT. Practical skills
recommendone safe and reliable
method to perform each technique.
The instructors of the ATLS course
are physicians who have
successfully completed the student
course with a test score above
90%, have effective communicative
skills and demonstrate enthusiasm
for and positive commitment to
ATLS program. The ATLS
Instructor Course, pedagogically
oriented introduces a new
component in medical education
'leachlng how to temh'!
The medical educator of each
program, with a doctoral degree in
education /pedagogy, teaches adult
learning, strategies for lecture, lab
and skills, evaluates teaching
qualities of candidates and acts as
role model for successful teachers
and effective communicators.
The last edition of ATLS manual
was published in April 1993 and this
weekend at the International ATLS
Meeting in Chicago, the first
meeting for th next 1997 edition will
be held.
A.T.L.S. has stood the test of time
(>I4 years). It has been taught and
accepted by well over 150,000
physicians.
A.T.L.S. is reviewed and rewritten
every 4 years. There is compulsory
recertification of both instructors
and students with every manual
update.
What other medlcal tralnjng
program Includes such
measures to ensure standards
are malntalned? (11).
except by a first on outcome study
They demonstrated that the
mortality decreased in the post
ATLS period as did major and minor
disability. It was concluded that the
ATLS program had a strongly
positive impact on trauma outcome.
In a more recent publication Ali and
coworkers (2) concluded that the
increased frequency of lifesaving
interventions in the post ATLS
period may account for the
improved post-ATLS trauma patient
outcome. Multivariate modeling
study showed that the presence of
A.L.S. first and trauma center
second were the best predictors of
decreased per capita county
trauma death rates (14). Other
studies suggested that ATLS did not
reduce morbility and mortality of
trauma patients.(22).
More outcome studies are
necessary. However, it will be
difficult to prove that ATLS
improves patient outcome until all
physicians who attend to these
patients are ATLS trained. (6).
Furthermore today, it is widely
accepted that complete trauma
care consists of prevention,
treatment and rehabilitation; a total
system is required (7). As stated by
Strauch (17): "At present, the