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Invitation

2009 Rural Critical Care Conference
Teamwork Strengthens Rural Critical Care

21st and 22nd August 2009
Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW

The NSW Rural Critical Care Clinical Nurse Consultant Planning Group are hosting their 9th Rural Critical Care Conference in Wagga Wagga NSW on 21st and 22nd August 2009. The theme of the conference is "Teamwork strengthens Rural Critical Care".

Teamwork is essential in the rural setting to reduce isolation, improve patient outcomes and manage our critically ill / injured patients through their patient journey from pre hospital to definitive care. Rural critical care depends and exists on teamwork across all disciplines; one cannot exist without the other. It is even more essential in rural and remote locations where services are isolated and distances are great.

The Rural Critical Care CNC's warmly invite you to participate in our 9th conference as a delegate or presenter and are now accepting abstract submissions for oral and poster presentations.

Anne Hawkins CNC
Conference Convener, Rural Critical Care Conference 2009

Keynote Address

‘Black Saturday - the Victorian Bushfires and Major Burns'

Associate Professor Mark Fitzgerald
Director of Trauma Services, The Alfred, Melbourne

Associate Professor Mark Fitzgerald has recently been appointed as Alfred Healt'’s new Director of Trauma Services. Mark previously worked as the Director of the Emergency & Trauma Centre, The Alfred since 1998. He is a Medical Advisor with Ambulance Victoria and Retrieval Physician for Adult Retrieval Victoria. He has over 25 years of clinical experience in the resuscitation of major trauma patients. He was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal on Australia Day 2003 and was President of the Australasian Trauma Society from 2003-2005.

Associate Professor Fitzgerald will present on the Victorian State Trauma System strategic response to treat patients with bushfire related injury in the first 72 hours of the February 2009 Victorian bushfires.  414 patients presented to hospital Emergency Departments as a result of the bushfires. Patients were triaged at scene, treatment centres and at hospital. National and state-wide burns disaster plans were activated. Throughout the disaster, burns referral centres continued to have substantial surge capacity Emergency Department (ED) presentations and the initial management of patients presenting to the state’s adult burns centres were analysed to examine the response to the major bushfire victims and to summarise the injuries and deaths associated with this event over the initial 72-hour period. Details of triaging and initial burns management will be presented.