Annals of emergency medicine
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The methods of obtaining data and assessing protocol compliance in prehospital research can present difficulties. The Norwalk Hospital Mobile Emergency Medical Service paramedics use a minicassette recorder carried in the monitor-defibrillator pack during their participation in a cardiac arrest study. ⋯ With this recorder, the investigator is able to accurately identify when interventions occurred and the patients' response to therapy. The use of a minicassette recorder can facilitate data collection for prehospital research with minimal disruption for the paramedic providing care.
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Animal models of resuscitation must be analyzed carefully before applying any interventions to human resuscitation. In addition to statistical concerns, the investigator must assess the clinical significance of the animal experience with an intervention. ⋯ After evaluating the animals used, the design in a series of animal experiments should be clinically applicable and the results reproducible. Finally, both process and outcome variables should be evaluated and improved in animal models before applying a new intervention to clinical care.
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Review Comparative Study
The complexity of comparing different EMS systems--a survey of EMS systems in Europe.
In Europe, emergency medical care has developed since the Middle Ages in each country, even within regions of a country, resulting in a patchwork of definitions, legislations, and systems. As a consequence, emergency medical care was implemented differently according to sociocultural, geographic, political, and religious differences between and within individual European countries. The objective of this survey was to describe the emergency medical services (EMS) systems in place throughout Europe, the type and qualification of the personnel, citizen-CPR knowledge, and experiences with automated external defibrillator programs. ⋯ To describe the EMS system, a uniform nomenclature is required. The Utstein "template" style could be proposed as the guideline to describe individual systems. The European Resuscitation Council could contribute in coordinating and standardizing the various aspects of emergency medical care in Europe, with detailed registration, medical coordination, and medical regulation being the principal working rules.