Abstract
A retrospective follow-up study was done, assessing regional practices in acute cervical reduction in hospitals in the Western Cape. The constitutional court ruled on the urgency in managing cervical dislocations, and our task is to ensure that medical treatment is optimized to comply with best medical practice and the apex court. A questionnaire was distributed and completed by emergency departments at each hospital, the results retrieved, analysed, and compared to a similar survey done in 2016.
Protocols for managing cervical spine dislocations had improved from 80% having no protocols to only over half of facilities (52,6%) not having protocols in place. Inadequate equipment availability remained a problem with only 50% of facilities having adequate equipment available in 2016 to 43,6% in 2023. 10,3% of participants did not know if there was equipment available. In terms of knowledge, there remained poor formal training with a drop from 93% participants identifying that the main indication to attempt emergency cervical reduction was acute cervical dislocation with worsening neurology, to only 46,2%. However, there was an increase in the number of participants who thought reduction was safe. The same percentage of participants from 2016 to 2023 would attempt emergency cervical reduction if given adequate training.
Previously we found that most Western Cape hospitals had inadequate protocols, training, and equipment for cervical reductions. In 2023, more hospitals in the Province have protocols in place for cervical reductions and the same percentage of doctors would attempt emergency cervical reduction with adequate training. However, equipment and training for management of acute cervical dislocations has not improved.
We conclude that most Western Cape Hospitals are unprepared to adequately manage acute cervical dislocations.
