Trauma Care Training in Vietnam: Narrative Scoping Review

Abstract

Background The model of trauma in Vietnam has changed significantly over the last decade and requires reforming medical education to deal with new circumstances. Our aim is to evaluate this transition regarding the new target by analyzing trauma and the medical training system as a whole. Objective This study aimed to establish if medical training in the developing country of Vietnam has adapted to the new disease pattern of road trauma emerging in its economy. Methods A review was performed of Vietnamese medical school, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education and Training literature on trauma education. The review process and final review paper were prepared following the guidelines on scoping reviews and using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flowchart. Results The current trauma training at the undergraduate level is minimal and involves less than 5% of the total credit. At the postgraduate level, only the specialties of surgery and anesthesia have a significant and increasing trauma training component ranging from 8% to 22% in the content. Trauma training, which focuses on practical skills, accounts for 31% and 32% of the training time of orientation courses for young doctors in “basic surgery” and “basic anesthesia,” respectively. Other relevant short course trainings, such as continuing medical education, in trauma are available, but they vary in topics, facilitators, participants, and formats. Conclusions Medical training in Vietnam has not adapted to the new emerging disease pattern of road trauma. In the interim, the implementation of short courses, such as basic trauma life support and primary trauma care, can be considered as an appropriate method to compensate for the insufficient competency-related trauma care among health care workers while waiting for the effectiveness of medical training reformation.