IT’S TRAUMA TUESDAY is a Free Weekly Newsletter

For nurses and other clinicians practicing anywhere along the trauma care spectrum

Cervical Spine Injury Prediction Rules in Children

11/03/2026

Test Your Trauma Care Knowledge

Article of the Week

All Ages, One Rule? Predicting Cervical Spine Injury in Kids

This article highlights a study of more than 22,000 children that found the PECARN cervical spine injury prediction rule performed as well as age-specific rules across pediatric age groups. The findings support using a single, consistent tool to guide cervical spine injury evaluation in children of different ages.

For bedside trauma nurses, the takeaway is to promptly recognize and communicate concerning assessment findings and to understand how PECARN informs the team’s evaluation. 

Click the link to view the article or watch a short AI-generated article summary (4 min 16 sec).
 

Trauma Happenings

New CDC Report Examines Violent Deaths in the US

If you work in a US trauma center, it probably comes as no surprise that we are a violent nation. A recent MMWR report documented more than 72,000 homicides and suicides in the latest reporting year (2023).

For the demographics of those killed in these violent incidents, click the link below. Some of these statistics will probably surprise you.

TEP Tips & Tricks

Skin: The Largest Organ in the Body

Many trauma patients come to us with surface trauma, and many others will develop a hospital-related skin condition. The folks at HealHorizon put together a 2-page, downloadable PDF titled Protecting Vulnerable Skin in High-Risk Settings. 

This FREE infographic is a quick what-you-need-to-know summary of critical bedside information on preserving your patients’ skin.

Download a copy by clicking the link.

Fun Facts

Walk On!

The Nursing profession is good exercise. In an average 12-hour shift, nurses walk about four miles.

Trauma Trained & Trauma Ready

Resuscitation-based courses focus on prehospital and ED patient care. But what about the next three hours, three days, or three weeks?

The TCAR and PCAR courses were specifically designed to address the learning needs of nurses who care for trauma patients in the inpatient phase of care.