An upcoming three-day course will help some southern rural Alberta physicians better manage a common issue they encounter in their local emergency departments.
The CASTED Course—Casting and Splinting Techniques in the Emergency Department—provides doctors and staff who work in the emergency room with instruction in casting and splinting principles and techniques for broken bones, including overviews of more than 80 specific diagnoses.
The course is sponsored by RhPAP, who are covering 50 per cent of the cost for the 20 participants from across southern Alberta.
CASTED Course founder, Dr. Arun Sayal, a family–medicine–trained emergency room physician, draws upon his experience running a weekly minor fracture clinic in Toronto and working in the operating room one day a week assisting orthopedic surgeons, to share best practices regarding acute orthopedic care.
As 15 to 20 per cent of injuries being seen in emergency departments are related to broken bones and fractures, the goal of the course is to enhance clinical skills amongst rural doctors. Dr. Sayal aims to help these physicians to feel assured about the best way to handle these injuries, giving them the confidence to work longer in rural communities.
“We try to make you better, not perfect,” Dr. Sayal explained. “If we can make people feel comfortable, physicians enjoy their work more, we promote wellness, and the patient is better served.”
“How do you decide if it’s a good fracture or a bad fracture? The course helps physicians to make that call.” -Dr. Arun Sayal, CASTED Course founder
Although the course was initially intended to be in-person over two days in Brooks, Dr. Sayal says offering the course virtually comes with a significant upside.
“Among the benefits are that a participant can see better at home than in a conference room and that there is no travel involved,” Dr. Sayal added.
According to Dr. Sayal, the online portion of the course is a great opportunity to review the course manual and case demonstrations, while learning hard skills and how to think about casting and splintering.
In addition to this virtual component, an in-person session is tentatively planned for Brooks later in the spring. Dr. Sayal said this hands-on session is necessary to reinforce principles and previous learnings, and to allow participants to practise and receive feedback on the skills they’ve learned.
“Important tips are offered on how to better examine patients” Dr. Sayal explained. “When you apply a splint, how do you know you’re doing it well? Most of the time people don’t push hard enough, so it really helps to be in person when you practice.”
“How do you decide if it’s a good fracture or a bad fracture? The course helps physicians to make that call.”
For more information on the CASTED Course, contact Dr. Sayal at cme@nygh.on.ca , or visit casted.ca.