Research

Emergency practitioners' motivations and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination

Background: Vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is an essential contributor to ending the pandemic. Acceptance of the vaccine among emergency medical service (EMS) professionals is largely unknown. Methods: A survey was distributed to EMS professionals. Participants responded to questions about their experiences of COVID-19, if they had received a COVID-19 vaccine, and personal reasons behind their decision for having it. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multivariate logistic...

Perceptions of ethical dilemmas in Australian paramedicine

Background: Paramedics experience a range of ethical dilemmas in the course of their work. To date, ethical dilemmas by Australian paramedics have not been documented. With the scope of practice becoming increasingly complex, paramedic education may not have evolved to meet holistic professional demands. Aim: To describe the ethical dilemmas experienced by contemporary Australian paramedics. Methods: An online survey, based on a previous instrument, was used to explore a range of ethical...

Racial disparities in emergency care for seizures in the United States

Background Racial disparities exist regarding emergency medical services, and advanced life support (ALS) is superior to basic life support (BLS) for patients experiencing a seizure. Aims This study aims to identify if there are racial disparities regarding access to ALS care for patients having a seizure. Methods This study analysed 624 011 seizure cases regarding the provision of BLS rather than ALS care per racial group. Chi-square testing was used to check statistical significance and...

A review of cases received by the Nepal Ambulance Service over one year

Nepal Ambulance Service (NAS) callout data was examined to aid future research into Nepali prehospital care, and identify trends and areas within NAS that may benefit from further training. A retrospective search was carried out of the NAS covering of the calls received and attended by NAS covering a period of 12 months. A total of 5486 cases from the NAS database were included. The data showed there had been a rise in NAS cases over the 12-month period, with 152 more cases being logged in July...

Focused ultrasound in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by advanced paramedics

Background: This study describes and evaluates advanced paramedic practitioner (APP) use of focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), and relates ultrasound findings with decisions to terminate resuscitation. The authors report characteristics of patients who do/do not undergo a FoCUS examination by APPs, ultrasound probe positions used and whether FoCUS findings were associated with decisions to terminate resuscitation or to convey patients to an emergency...

Does cricoid pressure have a detrimental impact on laryngoscopy and intubation?

Background: Cricoid pressure is used in anaesthetic practice to prevent regurgitation during anaesthetic induction; it is also used by some paramedics. However, it may have a detrimental impact upon laryngoscopy and intubation. Paramedics need to remove barriers to safe and prompt intubation of critically unwell patients. Aim: To determine if cricoid pressure has a detrimental effect on laryngoscopy and intubation. Methods: The PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched with a time...

Practitioner experiences in epidemics and pandemics in relation to COVID-19

Background: COVID-19 has been declared an international emergency by the World Health Organization. Despite personal concerns, frontline health professionals, such as paramedics, nurses and doctors, continue to treat patients. Ensuring these workers' mental wellbeing is supported during these stressful times is key to their maintaining good mental health in the longer term. Aim: To conduct a review of the literature exploring practitioners' attitudes during a pandemic. Methods: A scoping...

The role of the paramedic in identifying modern slavery

Background: Modern slavery is the recruitment or harbouring of people through the use of force and coercion for exploitation. Paramedics have significant potential and unique opportunities regarding the detection, prevention and combating of modern slavery. Aim: To analyse the literature relating to modern slavery and synthesise it for paramedic practice. Method: Following a structured literature review, a comparative analysis was undertaken of articles concerning the relationships between...

Prehospital unfractionated heparin prior to primary PCI

Introduction: Unfractionated heparin is an anticoagulant used by some, but not all, ambulance services in the treatment of patients who will undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) due to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Aims: The purpose of this study is to review the effectiveness and safety of prehospital unfractionated heparin administration to STEMI patients prior to PPCI, and to consider whether this drug should be more widely used for these purposes across...

Physiological and psychological components of paramedic wellbeing

Literature throughout the years has identified that wellbeing includes a variety of concepts that primarily have social, physical, and mental components. Research still needs to identify how the key aspects of these themes link together to create a holistic wellbeing approach, especially in frontline emergency healthcare, like paramedics. Linking together physiological indicators and psychological mediators is currently being investigated through a feasibility study at Anglia Ruskin University....

Local socioeconomic status and paramedic students' academic performance

Research indicates that students of lower socioeconomic status are educationally disadvantaged. This study sought to examine differences in paramedic students' academic performance from counties with varied socioeconomic status in the United States of America. Student performance data and socioeconomic status data were combined for counties within the states of California, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Virginia. Linear multiple regression modelling was performed to determine the relationship...

Survival in Seattle: the Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit