Emergency Trauma Nursing in Sub-Saharan Africa

Trauma is a major cause of death and disability across the globe and there is a disparity in trauma care, made evident by comparing trauma care systems worldwide. Trauma is overwhelming in low and middle-income countries due to the lack of resources, pre-hospital care and nurse training. Sub-Saharan African countries experience the highest rates of every kind of traumatic injury and bear the brunt of the global burden. The disparity demonstrates the need to evaluate and create changes in trauma care worldwide. Changes need to be implemented concerning resources, organization of pre-hospital care, and personnel training. Global effort is needed to facilitate the requisite changes. The purpose of this article is to examine emergency trauma nursing in Sub-Saharan Africa and explore ways to increase nurse competency and proficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa emergency trauma care.