Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study
Objective: To examine handling of cancelled helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) missions with a persisting medical indication. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting and subjects: Cancelled HEMS missions with persisting medical indication within Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2018.1523992 |
| _version_ | 1819089982238752768 |
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| author | Dag Ståle Nystøyl Steinar Hunskaar Hans Johan Breidablik Øyvind Østerås Erik Zakariassen |
| author_facet | Dag Ståle Nystøyl Steinar Hunskaar Hans Johan Breidablik Øyvind Østerås Erik Zakariassen |
| author_sort | Dag Ståle Nystøyl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: To examine handling of cancelled helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) missions with a persisting medical indication. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting and subjects: Cancelled HEMS missions with persisting medical indication within Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway during the period of 2010–2013. Both primary and secondary missions were included. Main outcome measures: Primary care involvement, treatment and cooperation within the prehospital system. Results: Our analysis included 172 missions with 180 patients. Two-thirds of the patients (118/180) were from primary missions. In 95% (112/118) of primary missions, GPs were alerted, and they examined 62% (70/112) of these patients. Among the patients examined by a GP, 30% (21/70) were accompanied by a GP during transport to hospital. GP involvement did not differ according to time of day (p = 0.601), diagnostic group (p = 0.309), or patient’s age (p = 0.409). In 41% of primary missions, the patients received no treatment or oxygen only during transport. Among the secondary missions, 10% (6/62) of patients were intubated or received non-invasive ventilation and were accompanied by a physician or nurse anaesthetist during transport. Conclusions: Ambulance workers and GPs have an important role when HEMS is unavailable. Our findings indicated good collaboration among the prehospital personnel. Many of the patients were provided minimal or no treatment, and treatment did not differ according to GP involvement.Key Points Knowledge about handling and involvement of prehospital services in cancelled helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) missions are scarce. Ambulance workers and general practitioners have an important role when HEMS is unavailable Minimal or no treatment was given to a large amount of the patients, regardless of which health personnel who encountered the patient. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:16:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a2997f28d9844e8abcc0623de4921fa5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0281-3432 1502-7724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:16:35Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-a2997f28d9844e8abcc0623de4921fa52022-12-21T18:48:27ZengTaylor & Francis GroupScandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care0281-34321502-77242018-10-0136439740510.1080/02813432.2018.15239921523992Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective studyDag Ståle Nystøyl0Steinar Hunskaar1Hans Johan Breidablik2Øyvind Østerås3Erik Zakariassen4Norwegian Air Ambulance FoundationUniversity of BergenCentre of Health Research, Førde Hospital TrustHaukeland University HospitalUniversity of BergenObjective: To examine handling of cancelled helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) missions with a persisting medical indication. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting and subjects: Cancelled HEMS missions with persisting medical indication within Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway during the period of 2010–2013. Both primary and secondary missions were included. Main outcome measures: Primary care involvement, treatment and cooperation within the prehospital system. Results: Our analysis included 172 missions with 180 patients. Two-thirds of the patients (118/180) were from primary missions. In 95% (112/118) of primary missions, GPs were alerted, and they examined 62% (70/112) of these patients. Among the patients examined by a GP, 30% (21/70) were accompanied by a GP during transport to hospital. GP involvement did not differ according to time of day (p = 0.601), diagnostic group (p = 0.309), or patient’s age (p = 0.409). In 41% of primary missions, the patients received no treatment or oxygen only during transport. Among the secondary missions, 10% (6/62) of patients were intubated or received non-invasive ventilation and were accompanied by a physician or nurse anaesthetist during transport. Conclusions: Ambulance workers and GPs have an important role when HEMS is unavailable. Our findings indicated good collaboration among the prehospital personnel. Many of the patients were provided minimal or no treatment, and treatment did not differ according to GP involvement.Key Points Knowledge about handling and involvement of prehospital services in cancelled helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) missions are scarce. Ambulance workers and general practitioners have an important role when HEMS is unavailable Minimal or no treatment was given to a large amount of the patients, regardless of which health personnel who encountered the patient.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2018.1523992Emergency medical servicesprimary health careair ambulancesNorwayHEMSgeneral practitioners |
| spellingShingle | Dag Ståle Nystøyl Steinar Hunskaar Hans Johan Breidablik Øyvind Østerås Erik Zakariassen Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care Emergency medical services primary health care air ambulances Norway HEMS general practitioners |
| title | Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study |
| title_full | Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study |
| title_fullStr | Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study |
| title_short | Treatment, transport, and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible: a retrospective study |
| title_sort | treatment transport and primary care involvement when helicopter emergency medical services are inaccessible a retrospective study |
| topic | Emergency medical services primary health care air ambulances Norway HEMS general practitioners |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2018.1523992 |
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