Features

A human rights perspective on the use of social media by the ambulance services

‘Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and...

A pilot of the Paramedic Advanced Resuscitation of Children (PARC) course

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) recently produced the fourth edition of its Facing the Future publication, which sets standards for the provision of emergency care to...

Effect of placental transfusion on neonatal resuscitation attempts

The research question was developed using PICO (Table 1). As many reviews have already found them to be equally effective, DCC and UCM were used together to consider both strategies for placental...

Maximising intraosseous flow rates: an in-vitro study

Three different methods of administration were examined: Fluid-giving set directly placed upon IO needle hub (direct-to-hub: DTH) (Figure 1)Fluid-giving set connected to the EZ-IO device extension...

Taking a holistic approach to acute mental health crisis

A literature search was carried out using CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases, using key words: ‘ambulance’; ‘paramedic’; ‘pre hospital’; ‘emergency’ and ‘mental health’; ‘mental illness’; ‘mental...

Clinical decision making and the challenges of responding to mental health needs

Qualitative methodology was employed to explore the views and experiences of paramedic students undertaking a diploma in higher education to become a qualified paramedic. This approach supports...

Salutogenesis: the case for a holistic tool for paramedic assessment of wellness

Salutogenesis is an approach to conceptualising wellness that examines health as a continuum and considers a multifactorial approach to determining an individual's health status (University West...

Non-invasive ventilation as a prehospital intervention for acute COPD exacerbation

The clinical forms of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema, although guidelines discourage differentiation between the two forms when making a diagnosis (NICE, 2010). Chronic bronchitis is...

Oxygen titration therapy and hypercapnia risk in COPD

Evidence suggests that high amounts of oxygen administered to patients with COPD can lead to hypercapnia (high levels of arterial carbon dioxide), potentially resulting in respiratory acidosis (Perrin...

Prehospital use of the traction splint for suspected mid-shaft femur fractures

The introduction of the simulation-based training for all operational paramedics had a positive impact on the management of femur fractures. Post intervention, a total of 69 femur fractures were...

Examining the type and frequency of incidents attended by UK paramedics

The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of incidents attended with a view to highlighting potential issues that may exist for paramedic practice. This aim has been achieved through the...

An out-of-hospital perspective on hyperventilation syndrome

After completing this module the paramedic will be able to:.