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Paediatric trauma diagnosis accuracy in Swiss HEMS
Diagnostic accuracy, characteristics and survival of children with trauma in HEMS: a retrospective multi-centre observational study
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine · Added 29 August 2026
Multi-centre Swiss HEMS study of 282 paediatric trauma patients found moderate diagnostic accuracy between prehospital and in-hospital diagnoses (Cohen's κ=0.64), with polytrauma underdiagnosed and extremity/pelvic injuries overdiagnosed, and overall survival of 92.2%.
- Study type
- Cohort
- Design
- Retrospective multi-centre observational study
- Participants
- 282 paediatric trauma patients (≤16 years) transported by Swiss HEMS
- Main finding
- Cohen's κ between prehospital and in-hospital diagnoses 0.64 (95% CI 0.58–0.70); polytrauma underdiagnosed, extremity/pelvic injuries overdiagnosed; survival to discharge and 1 year 92.2%
- Caveat
- Physician-staffed HEMS system with few paediatric missions; not directly comparable to paramedic-staffed systems; heterogeneous vital signs documentation
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). Paediatric trauma management is within ACTAS scope (CMG 39 Major Trauma), but this is physician-staffed HEMS—diagnostic patterns and survival benchmarks are useful context despite model differences.
Learning goal
Recognise underappreciated polytrauma in paediatric trauma patients where isolated limb injuries may mask broader injury patterns.
More
- Topic: Paediatrics
- Daily scan: 29 August 2026
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