Clinical Practice

ECG case series for paramedics: July 2024

There is ST segment elevation of up to 15 mm in V1–V6 suggestive of an extensive anterior lateral ST elevation myocardial infarction. There is ST segment depression in the inferior leads II, III and...

Wristwatches in bare-below-the-elbows out-of-hospital policies: time for a review

Two searches by the Library and Knowledge Service for Ambulance Services in England were commissioned by the author. This service undertakes searches of PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and EMCARE...

Decision making in prehospital and paramedic practice: part 1

After completing this module, the paramedic will be able to: l Understand the key principles and frameworks that support decision-makingl Provide an overview of critical thinking and problem-solvingl...

ECG case series for paramedics: May 2024

A 12-lead ECG was recorded (Figure 1)..

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: a neuro-psychiatric emergency

While the pathophysiology of neuroleptic malignant syndrome is complex and not fully understood (Berman, 2011), experts agree it involves a marked, sudden reduction in central dopaminergic activity...

Use of cognitive aids in paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

A survey study of 39 EMS agencies across six states of the United States was carried out. The survey (Appendix A, online) was developed as part of a larger study examining preventable serious adverse...

Confidence levels of students before and after a minor illness/injury placement

Research by Credland et al (2019) addressed the need for non-ambulance placements within the paramedic programme, such as walk-in centres, minor injury units, cardiac assessment units and general...

Diagnostic accuracy of early warning system scores in the prehospital setting

This commentary aims to critically appraise the methods used within the review by Guan et al (2022) and expand upon its findings in the context of clinical practice..

Hyperventilation in cardiac arrest—a systematic review and narrative synthesis

This review followed a focused literature search of three databases—CINAHL, MEDLINE and ScienceDirect—from 1 January 2000 to 27 April 2022. Only human, adult, prehospital studies were included. Papers...

Prehospital use of the paediatric observation priority score

How is POPS currently used in a prehospital setting within one Welsh health board?.