Investigating the Rate and Affecting Factors of Unnecessary Cervical Collar Use in Trauma Patients

This study aimed to investigate the necessity of cervical collars in patients with neck problems. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 114 patients who were admitted to the Haft Tir andRasoul Akram Hospitals (Tehran, Iran) from August to September 2022. The Nexus protocol was used to selectthe patients with cervical collars. According to the protocol, a cervical collar was required for individuals whohad at least one symptom. If none of these symptoms existed, the cervical collar was deemed unnecessary. Thedata were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Of the 114 trauma patients, the cervical collar was used unnecessarily by 49 (43%) patients. Tendernesswas the most common complication in 62 patients (54.4%). The prevalence of unnecessary cervical collaruse was 37.5% in female trauma patients and 43.88% in male trauma patients, which was not statisticallysignificant (p=0.63). The prevalence of unnecessary cervical collar use in trauma patients with multiple traumawas 39.42% and 80% in patients without multiple trauma, which was statistically significant (p=0.018). Patientswith a medical history had a higher rate of unnecessary use of the cervical collar (47.96%) than those withouta history (12.5%), and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.008). The guidelines for using cervical collars need to be updated by the EMS. Due to the large numberof trauma patients in Iran, cervical collars for necessary conditions can help reduce healthcare expensesand injuries caused by unnecessary cervical collars.