Research
Racial disparities in emergency care for seizures in the United States
Background: Racial disparities exist regarding emergency medical services, and advanced life support (ALS) is superior to basic life support (BLS) for patients experiencing a seizure. Aims: This study aims to identify if there are racial disparities regarding access to ALS care for patients having a seizure. Methods: This study analysed 624 011 seizure cases regarding the provision of BLS rather than ALS care per racial group. Chi-square testing was used to check statistical significance...
Perceptions of ethical dilemmas in Australian paramedicine
Background: Paramedics experience a range of ethical dilemmas in the course of their work. To date, ethical dilemmas by Australian paramedics have not been documented. With the scope of practice becoming increasingly complex, paramedic education may not have evolved to meet holistic professional demands. Aim: To describe the ethical dilemmas experienced by contemporary Australian paramedics. Methods: An online survey, based on a previous instrument, was used to explore a range of ethical...
Where to look: sources of research in paramedicine
This article explains how to approach searching for paramedicine research, and the order in which you should consider types of sources, from synthesised sources to individual studies. Databases and sources for literature are covered and common issues about the search process are addressed, including when a search is complete and finding a gap in the literature.
Community paramedicine home visits: patient perceptions and experiences
Background: Community paramedicine (CP) is an emerging model of community-based healthcare delivered around the world by paramedics with additional skills, education and training. There is a lack of qualitative research on patient perceptions and experiences of this phenomenon. Aims: The study aimed to explore patient perceptions and experiences of CP home visits delivered by specialist paramedics (SPs) in a Scottish urban general practice home-visit setting. Patient acceptance and CP...
Mental health assessment and triage in an ambulance clinical contact centre
Background: With increasing numbers of emergency calls to ambulance services, exploration of the triage and management of mental health calls is valuable, given their volume and duration. Studies have explored these calls from patient and practitioner perspectives, but few have considered the perspective of the practitioners assessing patients over the phone in terms of clinical capability. Aim: This study aimed to explore the thoughts, feelings and educational requirements of paramedics and...
How it's done: search tools and techniques for major bibliographic databases
This article explains how to write an effective search plan using simple steps. The article takes you through the tools and techniques that are widely used in major bibliographic databases such as MEDLINE and CINAHL to conduct searches. These include Boolean logic, truncation and wildcards, in-field searching, proximity operators, limits and subject thesauri. Each process is illustrated with an example to help you apply them to your own searches. The process of using these tools and techniques...
Staff wellbeing: a matter for quality indicators or a concern in its own right?
Despite assurance measures being developed alongside expanding scopes of practice, poor NHS ambulance staff wellbeing means high-quality job performance and patient care are not guaranteed. The UK's service is struggling to cope with growing demand and is not fully adapting from its historical emergency response role to meet modern-day urgent care needs. This puts unnecessary pressures and risks of stress from exhausting, intense work on to its most valuable resource: staff. Detrimental...
PaRamEDIc assessment of laCTate in OHCA and survival to hospital (PREDICT protocol)
Background: Studies suggest that blood lactate differs between survivors and non-survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who are transported to hospital. The prognostic role of lactate taken during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains unexplored. Aims: To measure the association between lactate taken during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, survival to hospital and 30-day mortality. Methods: This is a feasibility, single-centre, prospective cohort study. Eligible for inclusion are...
Prehospital osmotherapy in isolated traumatic brain injury: a systematic review
Background: Isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for 30% of injury-related deaths globally, with significant cost to individual health, lifestyle and the economy. Despite advances in prehospital trauma care, frontline paramedics have limited options to manage cerebral oedema and herniation. Prehospital osmotherapy could limit cerebral oedema and subsequent secondary brain injury, but uncertainties remain of its benefit to patient outcomes. Aim: This study aimed to explore whether...