results nearly 60% of the responders had witnessed more than two emergencies in the previous six months and 55% had actively participated in helping the injured person. the nature of the help was mainly by calling for an ambulance (41.5%), transporting the injured (19.7%) and consoling the victim (14.9%). majority (78.1%) of the responders informed that they had run to the victim (42.4%) or had...

OVERVIEW For time-sensitive, critical-care scenarios requiring transport—such as stroke, high-risk pregnancy, trauma, and pediatric care—reducing the elapsed time between symptom onset and treatment can be of great benefit to the patient while reducing the health care costs to the individual, the hospital, and the public. With mobile telemedicine, valuable prehospital transport time can be used...

Oxygen use in prehospital care is aimed at treating or preventing hypoxemia. However, excess oxygen delivery has important consequences in select patients, and hyperoxia can adversely impact outcome. The unique environment of prehospital care poses logistical and educational challenges. Oxygen therapy in prehospital care should be provided to patients with hypoxemia and titrated to achieve norm...

BACKGROUND In the Netherlands prehospital trauma care is provided by emergency medical services (EMS) nurses. This care is extended by Physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (P-HEMS) for the more severely injured patient. Prehospital communication is a factor of influence on the identification of these patients and the dispatch of P-HEMS. Though prehospital communication it is ...

AIM OF DATABASE The aim of the Danish quality database for prehospital emergency medical services (QEMS) is to assess, monitor, and improve the quality of prehospital emergency medical service care in the entire prehospital patient pathway. The aim of this review is to describe the design and the implementation of QEMS. STUDY POPULATION The study population consists of all "112 patient contac...

The early recognition of severe sepsis is important; however, early identification of severe sepsis can be challenging, especially in the prehospital setting. As previous research has shown, advanced notification of time-sensitive disease states by prehospital personnel can improve outcomes and time to initiation of treatments. Prehospital personnel can potentially impact outcomes in sepsis thr...

BACKGROUND Existing rural prehospital models have been criticised for being isolated from the healthcare system, and for following inflexible clinical protocols. Greater reliance on clinical judgement and informed decision making in the prehospital setting offer the potential to improve patient care. METHODS Soft systems methodology was used to develop and critically appraise the prehospital ...

Prehospital care in the United Kingdom rarely lasts more than a few hours other than in exceptional circumstances (for example, mountain and cave rescue, oil rigs). In other parts of the world hospitals may be much more distant and in expeditions to remote areas, prehospital care may extend to days or even weeks. When this occurs, the boundaries between primary care and prehospital care blur.