A spokesperson for Southern Health-Santé Sud says changes will take effect March 1st in this region for how patients are immobilized following a traumatic incident.

Scott Noble is Regional Director of Emergency Medical Services. He says whether it is from a motor vehicle collision or a fall, there has been a significant amount of research done concerning spinal injuries. The research relates to how injuries occur, whether further damage can be mitigated and how to appropriately manage these people.

Noble says changes to the approach in how these patients are managed include the fact injured people will no longer be placed on long hard spine boards for lengthy periods of time. There will also be a reduction in the use of cervical collars.

"Patients, instead of being placed on a board and strapped down in a collar and blocks around their head, will be more commonly transported perhaps with collar in place on a stretcher that has a softer mattress and in a more normal position of comfort," explains Noble.

He says the outcome for the patient will be a much higher level of comfort in the transport and a significantly decreased amount of potential damage to the skin integrity from lying on the board for an extended period of time.

Also, EMS staff will no longer be directed to hold the patient's head while being assessed. Instead, patients will be instructed to keep their head still. The policy will allow various methods to safely mobile patients to the stretcher.

"In health care there is always research ongoing on how things can be improved," explains Noble. "That research reveals that there is equivalent or better ways to do things that have the same outcomes."

Noble says there is still a time and a place for long spine boards. For example, one could be used if a patient must be moved out of a ditch following a collision or if a patient needs to be secured in order to lift him or her.

Noble says the changes are being implemented in a staged fashion across the province. There are other areas in North America that are already taking this approach and Noble says the feedback from patients has generally been positive.