Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24136720›Full record

SynthesisWorld journal of surgery2014

Educational and clinical impact of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses: a systematic review.

Alshafi Mohammad, Frank Branicki, Fikri M Abu-Zidan

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in World journal of surgery, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 84 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
84citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
8.6field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

84 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 220 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Effect of trauma life support training on patient outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026
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24 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Alshafi MohammadTrauma Group, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, PO Box 17666, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Frank Branicki
Fikri M Abu-Zidan
United Arab Emirates University · AE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe aimed to systematically review the literature on the educational impact of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses and their effects on death rates of multiple trauma patients.

methodsAll Medline, Pubmed, and the Cochrane Library English articles on the educational impact of ATLS courses and their effects on trauma mortality for the period 1966-2012 were studied. All original articles written in English were included. Surveys, reviews, editorials/letters, and other trauma courses or models different from the ATLS course were excluded. Articles were critically evaluated regarding study research design, statistical analysis, outcome, and quality and level of evidence.

resultsA total of 384 articles were found in the search. Of these, 104 relevant articles were read; 23 met the selection criteria and were critically analyzed. Ten original articles reported studies on the impact of ATLS on cognitive and clinical skills, six articles addressed the attrition of skills gained through ATLS training, and seven articles addressed the effects of ATLS on trauma mortality. There is level I evidence that ATLS significantly improves the knowledge of participants managing multiple trauma patients, their clinical skills, and their organization and priority approaches. There is level II-1 evidence that knowledge and skills gained through ATLS participation decline after 6 months, with a maximum decline after 2 years. Organization and priority skills, however, are kept for up to 8 years following ATLS. Strong evidence showing that ATLS training reduces morbidity and mortality in trauma patients is still lacking.

conclusionsIt is highly recommended that ATLS courses should be taught for all doctors who are involved in the management of multiple trauma patients. Future studies are required to properly evaluate the impact of ATLS training on trauma death rates and disability.

Indexed as

Advanced Trauma Life Support CareInservice TrainingClinical CompetenceGeneral SurgeryHumansMultiple TraumaRetention, Psychology

Identifiers

PMID24136720
OpenAlexW2161270176

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.