Improving general practice resuscitation teams: lessons from the ADF’s HOSPEX experience

Over the past two years the Australian Army’s Deployable surgical capacity has run a series of HOSPEX exercises to test the hospitals procedures. The presenter a professor of rural general practice has been the assessor for casualty reception and the emergency department. HOSPEX or Hospital Exercise is a United Kingdom Defence Medical Service Project designed to validate the training for hospital personnel deploying to Afghanistan. The Australian Army has adapted this to confirm the readiness of its deployable surgical capacity 2 General Health Battalion for deployment in this role. Aims HOSPEX is designed to test the functioning of resuscitation and assessment teams in arduous and resource limited conditions. Considerable influence is placed on preparation to receive the casualty, casualty handover from the transport team, assessment using ATLS protocols and handover to the operating theatre team. This presentation will focus on how to develop a team, best utilise a team in emergency situations and equip junior doctors to be team leaders using the presenter’s experience drawn from 3 conducted HOSPEX exercises.