The findings of various patient assessments must be combined to make sense of the patient's overall condition.
In prehospital emergency care, the evidence of underuse of analgesics in the face of valid indication (oligoanalgesia) remains a problem. Where issues around vascular access contribute to...
Recent trials exploring the effectiveness of cardiac arrest drugs suggest that the effects are time-dependent, and that earlier drug administration may improve outcomes. Gaining intravenous (IV)...
Alcohol-related harm—whether acute or long-term—has provided a significant challenge for populations and healthcare services across the UK..
Recent reports of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change discuss the unequivocal contribution of ill-health and healthcare towards rising global temperatures and vice versa. The NHS has a...
Acute heart failure (AHF) is characterised by new onset of heart failure or worsening heart failure presenting with cardiorespiratory symptoms. It is difficult to diagnose in the prehospital...
Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are invasive devices that are widely used by paramedics for the administration of intravenous (IV) therapy; however, adverse events including PIVC-associated...
In recent years, the technology of performing point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become increasingly accessible and has found increasing application in ambulances, helicopters, wilderness, and other...
Data indicate that adult patients suffering from suspected seizures are often conveyed to the emergency department (ED) with no clinical need. In England, ambulance services respond to around 211 000...
Everybody has an opinion on NHS 111, especially those working in ambulance services. Following piloting, the system was formally launched in 2014 to alleviate the burden on emergency departments and...
UK heatwaves are becoming more frequent due to anthropogenic climate change. July 2023 was globally the hottest month on record, with the temperature exceeding the long-term average by 1.8°C, topping...
The transition from student to qualified healthcare practitioner can be challenging, with previous studies identifying the initial transition phase as an especially emotionally turbulent time. It is...
The History, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART) score is widely used in emergency departments to categorise risk in patients with chest pain that is suspicious for a...
Prehospital acute pain management research in adults often focuses on analgesic administration: ‘what proportion of patients received an analgesic?’, ‘did a meaningful pain score reduction occur?’,...
Many paramedics will have raised their eyebrows upon entering the scene of a cardiac arrest to find bystanders performing chest compressions while the patient is lying supine on a springy mattress....