HECTOR: A Trauma Course to Match Our Population

Abstract

Major trauma in Ireland now affects older adults more than any other group, with patients aged ≥65 years making up over half of all national cases. Most injuries arise from low-mechanism falls, bringing frailty, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy into routine trauma care. Traditional trauma education has not always kept pace with these changes. The UK Heartlands’ Elderly Care Trauma & Ongoing Recovery (HECTOR) course was developed specifically to support clinicians managing older trauma patients. This study describes the adaptation of HECTOR to the Irish context and evaluates a pilot delivery of the course.

Using Kern’s six-step framework, the curriculum was modified to align with Irish guidelines, system structures, and resource availability. A one-day pilot course was delivered to 18 multidisciplinary clinicians during the 2025 Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM) meeting. Twelve participants completed post-course evaluations. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting relevance, practicality, and the value of the interprofessional format. The findings indicate strong feasibility and support further rollout with more rigorous evaluation.