In addition to the PTC course in Pohnpei, a one-day PTC Instructor Course was held where local hospital staff from Chuuk and Pohnpei were trained to be instructors for the PTC course. Seven people attended the instructor course — four doctors, one nurse, one representative of the Micronesia Red Cross Society and one nurse anaesthetist. The 2-day course in Chuuk was then organized and taught by the newly trained local instructors from Chuuk. The aim of these courses was to teach trauma management knowledge and skills to course participants and also to train and develop the skills of local PTC instructors.
Trauma is a major cause of death and disability in many developing countries. In the Federated States of Micronesia there are limited resources for dealing with trauma patients and limited training. The Primary Trauma Care course was developed to train health care workers to effectively and systematically manage trauma patients.
The course is specifically designed for health care providers working in developing countries and takes into account the resource shortages in these countries. Course teaching is rapidly handed over to local instructors. PTC is now being taught in many parts of the world, including many countries in Africa, South America and Asia.
Trauma statistics are unavailable in FSM, but most trauma deaths and disability on Pohnpei are caused by road traffic crashes or falls from vehicles or trees. In Chuuk there are a considerable number of deaths and injuries due to penetrating injuries caused by sharpened steel darts fired by a slingshot. Other causes of injury include boat crashes, machetes, shark bites, and burns or blast injury sustained while dynamite fishing.
Twenty people attended the Pohnpei course including six nurses, six health assistants, 5 doctors, one nurse anesthetist and 2 representatives of the Micronesian Red Cross Society (involved with disaster planning). Up to 33 people attend the Chuuk course. There were 19 nurses, one nurse anesthetist, one ambulance driver and 12 doctors.
Dr. Johnny Hedson, surgeon, was the local organizer for Pohnpei while Dr. Kennedy Remit, also a surgeon, was the local organizer in Chuuk.
In Pohnpei, Australian Ambassador Susan Cox attended the closing ceremony of the 2-day course and presented the course certificates. She also presented an airway trainer, donated by the Pacific Island Project/AusAID.
A PTC committee has been formed and plans are under way to commence regular PTC training, starting with a course in Pohnpei in February-March 2011.
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