Background: Trauma Team Activation (TTA) triage criteria rapidly mobilise the trauma team in response to patients presenting with suspected major trauma. However, many major trauma patients in Australia and New Zealand fail to trigger a TTA.
Aim: To optimise TTA protocol by identifying the characteristics of trauma patients who do not trigger a TTA upon arrival to the Major Trauma Centre (MTC) in the Northern Territory (NT).
Methods: All trauma patients admitted to the NT MTC between 1 January and 30 June 2024 who did not trigger trauma team activation (TTA) on arrival were identified from the Trauma Service Registry (n=101). Demographics, injury patterns, mechanisms of injury, and physiological status were analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results: Of the study population, 76% were older adults, or non-indigenous Australians ≥65 years old and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ≥50 years old. All cases (100%) were attributable to blunt mechanism of injury, with 75% resulting from low energy falls. This cohort were predominantly female (57%) with a median age of 75 years. 93% did not meet TTA vital sign criteria, despite sustaining major injuries from their fall (Injury Severity Score ≥13) (14%).
Conclusion: Revising local TTA protocol to incorporate low energy falls, particularly among older adults who often present with stable vital signs, may reduce under triage and promote timely, equitable access to multidisciplinary trauma care for vulnerable populations.
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