Prehospital Critical care intervention - who are we missing?

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Are Critical Care Paramedics reaching the right patients? A retrospective study of critically ill patients

• IRAS ID

  271188

• Sponsor organisation

  South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Critical Care Paramedics (CCPs), like all clinicians, need to ensure that they are tasked appropriately so as to benefit the highest amount of patients possible, whilst providing the best value for money for the trust. In addition, it is important to maintain a scope of practice that is most appropriate for the patient population that they serve. Currently, there is limited information on those patients that would benefit from a CCP, but are not receiving one.

  This study aims to identify what proportion of seriously ill and injured patients could have benefitted from a CCP prior to their arrival at hospital. It will also provide an impression of those elements of the scope of practice that could be used most often, and any deficiencies in the scope of practice that may allow for future development.

  A cohort of doctors within one of the trust’s district general hospitals will be enlisted to complete a short questionnaire after treating each pre-alerted (ASHICE’d) patient to their emergency department. This questionnaire will gather data on age and gender, gain a gross impression of presenting complaint and identify any interventions that the doctor feels would have benefitted the patient prior to their arrival at hospital. All information will be anonymous regarding the identity of both patient and doctor.

• REC name

  N/A

• REC reference

  N/A