– We fear that lives may be lost, says Professor Pål Aksel Næss, pediatric surgeon and senior physician in the department of traumatology. He also fears that patients may end up with a worse end result than they would have if the trauma department had operated normally. The trauma center at Ullevål Hospital is the country’s largest. The most seriously injured after traffic accidents and falls from large parts of Eastern Norway and parts of Southern Norway come here. The patients have injuries in various organ systems in the body. Head injuries. Chest injuries. Injuries in the abdominal region. Broken arms and legs. The picture is from a trauma room in the emergency department at Ullevål Hospital. Photo: Victoria Wilden / news Each year, the trauma center treats around 2,000 patients. And summer is the busiest time of the year. – Then people are out engaging in the most risky behaviour, says Næss. Gaps in the duty schedule The trauma center has a senior doctor with special surgical expertise in injuries, who comes in quickly when needed. They have overall responsibility for the treatment of patients. The management at the trauma department has now sent a report of concern to the specialist council for traumatology at Oslo University Hospital (OUS). Tina Gaarder is head of the department of traumatology in OUS and professor Pål Aksel Næss is a pediatric surgeon and senior physician in the department of traumatology. Photo: Privat Here they write that it has long been difficult to maintain and recruit such senior doctors due to challenges in the organisation. And that this has led to a great personal and professional strain on the superiors over several years. – The gaps in the duty schedule are significant. The reason is illness. Now they will not be filled. Næss says they want to send a signal to the management. Covering the holes is not a long-term solution, he believes. – We will only be able to do it for a short period before it breaks down. How many gaps are there in the roster this week? – Four days are uncovered. Among other things for the weekend. Good results The arrangement with a senior trauma surgeon at work has existed since 2013. It had taken several years to build it up. It has produced results. – Mortality in seriously injured patients who were dependent on blood transfusions was nearly halved from 31 per cent to 17.7 per cent after the scheme was put in place, says Tina Gaarder, who is head of the department of traumatology at OUS. Traumatology is an additional competence. The surgeons must work in two clinics to maintain their skills. Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB – A predicted disaster According to Gaarder, it is about working conditions. – The trauma surgeons must have good working conditions and good conditions, otherwise we will lose them to other functions. She says they have pointed out the problems to the hospital management for a long time. – We have received guarantees that challenges in the organization would be resolved, but this has not happened. What do you think must happen now? – We have given notice to the management at the hospital that they must ensure that our senior doctors receive the conditions that they have been promised repeatedly. So that we can secure the senior physician function in the years to come. Is this about money? – No, it’s not about finances at all. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB – No danger to life and health – We take the matter very seriously, says clinic manager in the emergency clinic, Øyvind Skraastad. He is responsible for the Department of Traumatology at Oslo University Hospital. Skraastad confirms that there have long been challenges related to the surgeons in the trauma department having to work in two clinics at the same time. – The surgeons have different tasks where they work. The tasks are time-consuming. The clinic manager says the hospital management is doing its utmost to make this fit together. But that they have no ready solution now. He says they will also follow up on the acute situation with sick leave and gaps in the on-call schedule. – A collapse of this business is completely impossible, both for the injured patients, for our preparedness in society and for OUS. – We are not going to sit and watch without taking adequate measures. Can you guarantee that lives will not be lost as a result of the situation that has arisen? – As clinic manager, I am responsible. We will put in sufficient resources and management to ensure that patients receive good treatment so that life and health are not at risk. Message of concern The Personal Injury Association has sent a message of concern to the Ministry of Health and Care and to Health South-East. Per Oretorp in the Personal Injury Association is also a user representative in the specialist council for traumatology in OUS. Photo: The Norwegian Personal Injury Association LTN – We are concerned that lives will be lost as a result of not having the staffing required according to the national trauma plan, says assistant general secretary Per Oretorp. He expects the hospital and Helse Sør-Öst to clean up and get the gaps in the duty schedules closed immediately. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has ultimate responsibility. – I expect them to monitor the situation, to intervene and ensure that this situation does not occur again, says Oretorp. Published 02.07.2024, at 20.48
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– Lives can be lost – Greater Oslo
