As part of ongoing training, nurses from the hospital's emergency department and student paramedics from the Ecole Supérieure de Soins Ambulanciers (ESAMB – College of Paramedical Care) took part in a life-like interprofessional simulation of the care of a patient with multiples traumas.
For the purposes of the one-day exercise, a student played the part of a patient with spine and arm traumas. As in a real-life situation but without any risk to the patient, the nurses and future paramedics systematically reviewed the steps to be taken to treat the patient and improved the way they exchanged information.
To maintain its high level of care and service provision, Clinique La Colline's emergency department, which is a member of the Geneva Emergencies Network, offers numerous ongoing specialist training courses for nurses and doctors. "To maintain the quality of our patient care, we take an active approach to training and are increasing our dialogue with healthcare stakeholders such as the ESAMB college, with whom we will hold another training session at the start of 2016," says Ana Miguel-Prieto, Emergency Department Head Nurse.
A workshop like this helps improve the quality of care offered to the injured patient and the effective communication of information between the nurses and the paramedics.
"We use these practical exercises to take the time to look at how everyone acts to see how it could be improved. We are also implementing automatic action planning, which is vital in these emergency situations," explains the nurse coordinating the workshop.
Short photo report of this adrenaline-filled day for the students and La Colline emergency team.
07:55 The paramedics arrive on the scene of the accident. Vital signs are checked.
08:07 In light of the patient's condition (based on a standardised NACA score), a paramedic calls the emergency department at Clinique La Colline, a member of the Geneva Emergencies Network. The call is taken by a nurse-receptionist in the emergency department.
08:15 The patient is installed in the ambulance.
All ambulances are equipped with the first aid equipment needed for the paramedics to administer first aid to the patient while en route to the emergency department.
08:20 The patient is taken into the emergency department at La Colline via the ambulance bay.
A paramedic gives the nurse-receptionist a full report of the care they have given. The nurse-receptionist assesses the degree of severity according to the Swiss Triage Scale to determine the level of the emergency according to specific criteria.
08:23 The patient is installed in one of the emergency cubicles with the help of the paramedics.
08:30 The patient is moved from the ambulance trolley to an emergency department trolley.
This transfer is a technical skill requiring the strength and coordination of all those involved to ensure the patient remains immobilised.
08:35 The patient is now under the care of the emergency department team.
La Colline is able to offer patients high-quality care and the best possible treatment thanks to the technical facilities and the availability of specialist doctors.
08:37 The ambulance leaves: the first simulation exercise is complete.
The day continues with other practical training sessions for the student paramedics and nurses at La Colline.
Emergency department
Every day, 07:00 - 23.00
+41 22 702 21 44
Treatment for those with basic and additional insurance
Download the SmartHUG app to find out about waiting times at emergency departments in Geneva