Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
-
Given the demanding nature of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitations, recordings of the times of interventions in EMS patient care reports (PCRs) are often inaccurate. The American Heart Association developed Full Code Pro (FCP), a smartphone application designed to assist EMS personnel in recording the timing of interventions performed. Through OHCA simulations, this study assessed the group size necessary to use the FCP recording functions accurately and safely without compromising patient care. Program evaluation was based on participant feedback surveys, data accuracy, delays between recording and performing interventions, and delays in care attributed to using the application, stratified by group size. ⋯ OHCA simulations using FCP demonstrate increased provider comfort, increased recording accuracy, and decreased delays as the group size increased. While the application may improve recordings for PCRs and future research, the data suggest a sufficient number of EMS personnel (>3) should be present to achieve reliable data without compromising patient care.
-
To understand how family members view the ways Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and other first responders interact with distressed family members during an intervention involving a recent or impending pediatric death. ⋯ The study generated hypothetical ways for first responders to interact with distressed family members during an OOH pediatric death.
-
Use of prehospital stroke scales may enhance stroke detection and improve treatment rates and delays. Current scales, however, may lack detection accuracy. As such, we examined whether adding coordination (Balance) and diplopia (Eyes) assessments increase the accuracy of the Face-Arms-Speech-Time (FAST) scale in a multisite prospective study of emergency response activations for presumed stroke. ⋯ Adding coordination and diplopia assessments to face, arm, and speech assessment does not improve stroke detection in the prehospital setting.
-
Determining care disposition for pediatric patients during interfacility transport is often challenging. Severity of illness scoring can assist with this process. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare currently utilized scoring systems and their ability to reliably match pediatric transport patients' severity of illness with the level of care necessary. ⋯ Elevated PedCTAS, TPEWS, and TRAP scores are strongly associated with PICU admission within the interfacility transport setting.
-
The aging population in Canada is steadily increasing and is placing greater demand on paramedic services, especially through the growing number of non-emergent lift assist (LA) calls. A LA occurs when a person calls paramedic services and requests assistance to get up or mobilize, usually after experiencing a fall. The patient refuses transport to the emergency department for further medical attention. LA calls are time consuming and are non-reimbursable. The increase in number of this call type, specifically amongst older adults, is placing strain on paramedic services. ⋯ LAs consume the time of paramedics, preventing them from responding to more urgent emergency calls. Alternative solutions are needed to reduce the negative impact of LAs on paramedic services.