This article discusses the new online prehospital emergency care (PhEC) course, as created by BASICS Education (www.basics.org.uk) in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The sixteen module course, designed to prepare the immediate care practitioner to work safely and effectively in the prehospital environment, has been created in an e-learning format in order to enable people across the world to study all aspects of emergency care at their own pace, on their own time.
Basics
The British Association For Immediate Care (BASICS), founded in 1977, have held three day training courses for years in order to provide the PhEC (prehospital emergency care) qualification, both domestically and abroad; but the nature of in person training can place restrictions on many potential students, who may not have the time or availability to attend the in-depth schooling. Therefore, the decision was made that, as of April 2011, all lectures, along with a myriad of texts, web resources, video clips, as well as the module exams, would be placed on the BASICS Education website (BASICS, 2011).
Course structure
After successfully completing a module, the student will be granted a certificate for that subject, and once all sixteen modules have been passed, students will be able to arrange going for a full, practical exam at a regional centre, and upon completing that, will then garner the PhEC qualification.
The course modules are available individually, allowing the immediate care practitioner to select one or more aspect of emergency care that may be more relevant to their occupation or position, thus making the course an ideal learning resource for ambulance technicians, military medics, expedition medics, advanced skills first-aiders, clinical medical students, GPs and nurses, and all others that deal with on-site care.
The course is available for anybody in the field to pursue, and also works out considerably cheaper in its new online form than the prior training system. The aforementioned PhEC training courses could cost the student over £1000, whereas not only can each module now be purchased as a stand-alone item, but the grand total of all modules results in a saving of over 33%, further broadening the scope of potential users.
The lectures and choice of additional materials are the work of BASICS Education, and approved in its new form by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, who recognize the online course as a significant qualification in the field of immediate care. The e-PhEC, in development since the beginning of 2011, but based on 30 years of teaching experience, is designed to provide a structured and standardized approach to patient management, which is both thorough in scope and vast in content.
Course modules
Organization of prehospital care
This module looks at the origins of prehospital care in recent times, and the development of both the practical delivery of care and the academic background to the current situation. It is an essential module if taking the e-PhEC examination, however the course is offered as a free additional module when any other course is purchased.
Preparation for role and scene assessment
Here, you will look at the preparations that must be made before responding to prehospital emergencies, and also at the way the scene needs to be assessed as you arrive. Paying close attention to the requirements and surroundings of a situation before you proceed with care is imperative, and this module will teach you how to do so correctly.
‘The target aim of such an array of subjects is to appeal to as many practitioners as possible, to enhance the availability of quality care education’
Mechanisms of injury
This module looks at the way the human body responds to the forces that are applied to it in a variety of situations. This allows the likelihood of injuries to be predicted, and therefore actively considered during the process. This knowledge needs to be indoctrinated in the back of your mind at all times when providing immediate care.
Assessment of the trauma patient
When arriving on the scene of an accident, you will need to quickly and correctly identify what issues require your attention. This module explains the system that is adopted to assess the injuries of the trauma patient. It is this system that is the key to effective care of the casualty.
Airway management
This module looks at the assessment of the patient's airway, and provides methods by which an open pathway between the lungs and the outside world is maintained and managed correctly, considering aspiration and other situational circumstances, an ability that can be of critical importance.
Breathing and chest injury management
In severe emergency situations, it is not uncommon for the patient to suffer from breathing issues stemming from a traumatic impact. This module demonstrates a method for examining the casualty's chest, assessing the work of breathing and managing injuries to the chest in the prehospital environment.
Circulation and haemorrhage control
Covering the effects of blood loss on the casualty, this subject provides methods for its management. Strategies for the management of blood loss, both external and internal, are provided, explaining all the possible courses of action to take in order to best care for the patient.
Head and spinal injury
This module considers the pathology of head and spinal injury, and then, by considering all aspects of the altered physiology that occurs as a result, provides a format for the best prehospital management of these injuries.
Extrication and packaging
In this subject, we will focus on the methods of extricating a patient from a road traffic accident, and the way they are prepared for evacuation to hospital. A delicate approach is needed to minimize injury to the victim, and this module will also cover immediate care that will be given while the extrication process is ongoing.
Introduction to prehospital paediatrics
This module introduces the student to the issues regarding paediatric casualties. It is a subject that merits a full course of its own, and therefore does not claim to be anything more than an overview. It does, however, provide valuable information to the responder with little previous experience in the subject.
Prehospital analgesia
In most aspects of immediate care, the situation will likely involve the patient dealing with a significant degree of pain. This module is orientated towards providing pain relief to the casualty in the prehospital environment, and considers the range of interventions available to the responder.
Triage and major incidents
On occasion, the care practitioner will encounter a scenario where there is more than one patient to attend on the scene of an accident. This module focuses on the multiple casualty incident, looking at the triage of casualties into priorities and the ways by which the incident is organized to ensure the maximum benefit to the victims, with the most efficient and effective process of administering care.
Cardiac emergencies
This module considers the prehospital management of non-arrest cardiac emergencies, evaluating the actions that may need to be taken, and the rationale behind them, giving you a strong base of knowledge in dealing with the patient on a case by case situation.
Basic and advanced life support
This aspect of the course covers the 2010 guidelines regarding prehospital basic and advanced life support of the cardiac arrest victim, covering the management of such circumstances.
Medical emergencies
By evaluating past experience, this module provides guidance on the management of the most common prehospital medical emergencies, covering a gamut of the potential issues you will likely come across an immediate care practitioner.
Obstetric and gynaecological emergencies
This module is an introduction to the and gynaecological issues the patient presents, explaining how to arrive at a definitive diagnosis and to prevent, manage, or treat an emergency.
Summary
In evaluating the broad range of subjects on offer, the target aim of such an extensive array of subjects is to appeal to as many practitioners as possible, to enhance the availability of quality care education, and to provide opportunity to all in the field to further their learning and base of knowledge.
Whether you want a course to make you better able to cope with emergencies in your community practice, whether you are looking to embark on a role in BASICS, or whether you are a helicopter medic or a military medic about to be deployed, there are options relevant to you.
Conclusion
BASICS Education first provided a prehospital care course thirty years ago, and has regularly updated its training to be consistent with the latest developments in equipment, research and practice.
The ethos of the BASICS Education faculty is one of teaching an understanding of what you are trying to accomplish, and giving multiple options on how to achieve the ends, therefore providing a consistent yet flexible approach to the management of prehospital care.
The new online PhEC course aims to educate any and all practitioners within a critically approved clinical governance framework.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has over 500 years experience in providing academic training, and as a result, a certificate approved by them will be a worthy addition to any curriculum vitae.
‘BASICS has regularly updated its training to be consistent with the latest developments in equipment, research and practice’
For more information on BASICS, go to www.basics.org.uk, or to enrol in the course, visit www.basics-education.co.uk.