Scand J Trauma Resus
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Aug 2023
Clinical TrialVideo triage in calls concerning children with fever at an out-of-hours medical helpline: a prospective quality improvement study.
Parents often contact out-of-hours services due to worry concerning febrile children, despite the children rarely being severely ill. As telephone triage of children is challenging, many children are referred to hospital assessment. This study investigated if video triage resulted in more children staying at home. Secondary aims included safety, acceptability and feasibility of this new triage tool. ⋯ Video triage was feasible to conduct, acceptable to parents and as safe as telephone triage. The study did not show that more children stayed at home after video triage, possibly because the allocation strategy was not upheld, as video triage sometimes was chosen in cases of complex and severe symptoms, and this likely has changed study outcome.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Aug 2023
Use of simulation models when developing and testing hospital evacuation plans: a tool for improving emergency preparedness.
In recent decades, analyses of hospitals evacuations have generated valuable knowledge. Unfortunately, these evacuation case studies often lack crucial details and policies that would be helpful in evacuation preparedness. The aim of this study was to use a simulation model to illustrate how it can aid emergency planners in the development, testing, and revising of hospitals evacuation plans. This study includes evacuation exercises at two emergency hospitals in Region Stockholm, Sweden. ⋯ This study has shown that "table top" exercises using a validated simulation system can serve to guide emergency planners when developing evacuation plans, procedures, and protocols as well in training of all medical staff. The system also served to train adaptive thinking, leadership, communication, and clarification of critical functions.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Aug 2023
LetterPhysicians in police tactical teams - ethical considerations.
High-profile mass shootings, terrorist attacks, and experience acquired during recent conflicts have led to a shift in police tactics, who now follow an aggressive approach to immediately neutralize the threat in addition to providing early tactical medical care. A growing number of police tactical teams now include physicians in their ranks to increase the level of forward care. ⋯ Having a physician in such a team may be an invaluable asset to increase the team's safety and allow for advanced forward care, however, this requires two important conditions. The first is that the role of the physician is clearly defined and that what is expected of him is in line with medical ethics, while the second is extensive tactical training with the team to collaborate flawlessly in this complex, high-stress environment.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Aug 2023
Pre-hospital and retrieval medicine in Scotland: a retrospective cohort study of the workload and outcomes of the emergency medical retrieval service in the first decade of national coverage.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) has provided national pre-hospital critical care and aeromedical retrieval in Scotland since 2010. This study investigates trends in the service and patients attended over the last decade; and factors associated with clinical deterioration and pre-hospital death. ⋯ EMRS continues to develop, delivering Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine across Scotland and may have a role in addressing health inequalities, including socioeconomic deprivation and geographic isolation. Age, specific distances from care, and abnormal physiology are associated with death in pre-hospital critical care.