Research

Thermal comfort during emergency transport by ambulance services

Friday, September 2, 2022

Background: Cold is an unpleasant sensation and is linked to increased anxiety, pain and risk of hypothermia. A question was developed to test the authors' hypothesis that patients would feel cold while being transported to an Irish emergency department (ED) by the Ambulance Service (NAS). Method: A survey of a convenience sample of 96 respondents was undertaken, for 77 consecutive hours in March 2020 at University Hospital Limerick's ED. During that period, the NAS transported 163 patients...

Challenges and changes with COVID-19: Canadian paramedics' experiences

Background: Healthcare systems, practitioners and communities have experienced momentous change and strain because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although paramedics are an essential component of the public health emergency response, the literature has focused primarily on the views of physicians, nurses and hospital administrators. Aims: This research sought to improve the understanding of the lived experiences of paramedics throughout the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: The...

Identifying cardiac activity using focused ultrasound in non-shockable arrests

Background: Each year, around 60 000 people in the UK experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The introduction of additional diagnostic tools such as focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) aids assessment and management of patients at the point of care. The Resuscitation Council guidance recommends its use where possible. Method: A systematic literature search was undertaken of two databases, PubMed and Science Direct primarily to identify literature relevant to the use of ultrasound in...

Trauma education and training for healthcare providers: a scoping review

Background: Every six seconds, someone in the world dies because of injury. Trauma is a major public health problem and leads to significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. Healthcare provider training can affect patient outcomes; therefore, it is useful to examine the efficacy of trauma training programmes. This scoping review aimed to determine the impact of trauma training or education on healthcare providers' confidence. Method: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL, Scopus,...

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...

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