Research

Spotlight on Research

Prompt and accurate decision-making is a necessity to deliver effective patient care. However, the impact of sleepiness during a nightshift may reduce cognitive functioning and clinical performance....

The role of individual factors in the mental health of NHS ambulance personnel

Four NHS ambulance trusts in England facilitated the recruitment of a purposive sample of ambulance personnel. The researchers were limited in access to sites and relied on the communication team at...

Troponin testing in primary care: can it improve diagnosis and prevent admission?

The limitations of this systematic review largely concern the quality of the included studies. With all studies scoring either three or below on the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of...

‘Just little tricks’: an exploration of treating children in pain

The aim of this study was to explore UK paramedics’ experience of treating paediatric patients in pain..

Spotlight on Research

Femoral shaft and neck fractures are painful injuries which, if managed sub-optimally, can lead to a significant increase in length of hospital stay and overall mortality. Early management of these...

Prehospital administration of calcium in trauma

Calcium ions initiate actin-myosin filament binding, resulting in myofibril (muscle-fibre) shortening and muscle contraction. Depletion of calcium ions because of loss during haemorrhage and...

Prevalence, severity and preventability of prehospital patient safety incidents

This commentary aims to critically appraise the methods used within the review by O'Connor et al (2021) and expand upon the findings in the context of clinical practice..

Spotlight on Research

Recent studies suggest that in cases of serious trauma, reducing prehospital time could improve survivability of patients. An area of particular interest is the reduction in time spent on scene by...

Spotlight on Research

As reports of violence against ambulance staff are increasing, this study is interesting. The researchers conducted a simulation-based study to evaluate the responses of emergency medical service...

Reaching underserved people during the pandemic

Between May 2020 and April 2021, the regional AHEC in the northwest portion of Indiana partnered with a local community integrated health service organisation to expand access to COVID-19 antibody...

The efficacy of the HEART score in prehospital settings

Following a scoping search, formulation of the inclusion/exclusion criteria began. The PICOS (population, intervention, comparator, outcome and study design) framework was used to aid this process...

Spotlight on Research

Time to treatment is an important factor in the management of patients with traumatic haemorrhage, but the common perception that blood may be superior to saline in the prehospital setting is yet to...