The percentage of paediatric patients is markedly higher among the surgical patient population in military hospitals as well as in humanitarian efforts. There is a need for understanding injury patterns specific for paediatric casualties of armed conflict. This is essential to facilitate preparations by organizations that provide medical care in conflict areas.
In a previous study we can report that pre-deployment military medical training did not seem to fully meet the educational needs of their deployed personnel in the treatment of paediatric patients. Furthermore, no referral centre for paediatric patients was available on most deployments. The aim of this study was to define patterns of injury and surgical treatment needs for paediatric patients in armed conflict zones. The findings of the study could facilitate better preparation of deployed and local healthcare providers and result in more favourable treatment outcomes for young victims of armed conflict.
Project partners: Edward Tan (Radeboud UMC), Frederike Haverkamp (Radeboud UMC), Måns Muhrbeck (LiU, KMC)
