Newsletter

Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) Forum

The Centre for Prehospital Research (CPR) formally launched the CPG Forum at the EMS Gathering in Killarney last May. The CPG Forum is a platform for prehospital practitioners to provide feedback on current CPGs and make suggestions for new CPGs that may be required. Access to the CPG Forum is via the CPR website www.ul.ie/cpr and is restricted to PHECC practitioners only. The feedback provided on the forum is collated by the CPR and relayed to the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC). The following is a brief summary of forum items recently discussed at the July MAC Meeting;

  • Patient Follow-up - Practitioners are interested in the follow-up of patients after handover in the Emergency Department.
  • Sepsis Screening Tools - Practitioners felt that a Sepsis Screening Tool would be a useful addition either to the new CPG Book or to the Field Guide.
  • Withdrawal of Long Boards - The use of long spinal boards and alternatives for patient immobilisation was discussed by practitioners on the forum.
  • CPG Book Format - Most practitioners expressed the view that a hard copy CPG book is preferable than electronic versions.
  • Oxygen Alert Cards - Practitioners reported variable knowledge of and usage of Oxygen Alert Cards by patients and in-hospital staff.

 

Research Workshops

The latest CPR Research Workshop titled “Critical Appraisal of the Prehospital Literature” took place on Wednesday 18th June in the Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS), University of Limerick. The aim of this workshop was to equip participants with basic critical appraisal skills to assist them in systematically examining research papers to make sense of scientific evidence in the prehospital field. Attendees on the day included paramedics from the National Ambulance Service and Dublin Fire Brigade, EMTs from the Order of Malta and one of our own medical students with an interest in prehospital care and emergency medicine.

The workshop featured a visit from the Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) who are currently involved in a research project with CPR. The EAS team also participated in a series of trauma simulations for GP Trainees lead by Mark Dixon (GEMS). This was the sixth and last in the current series of Critical Appraisal Workshops. Our next workshop topic will cover the basics of beginning a research project and a date for this will be announced in September.
 

Research Register

We are currently in the process of updating our Research Register. The register contains details of active prehospital researchers in Ireland and it is hoped that this will help to increase awareness of prehospital research and encourage collaboration among researchers on a national level. If you are involved in prehospital research and would like your details to be included in the register please contact bernie.woods@ul.ie

 

Recommended Reading

The following prehospital review article was published recently in the International Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Telemedicine in Pre-hospital Care: A Review of Telemedicine Applications in the Pre-hospital Environment by Ahjoku Amadi-Obi, Peadar Gilligan, Niall Owens and Cathal O’Donnell.

It was written by an Irish research team with expertise in emergency medicine and prehospital care. The article is open access and can be read in full on this link http://www.intjem.com/content/7/1/29

Website & Social Media

Visit our website www.ul.ie/cpr for regular news updates and events. Our social media also posts EMS items of interest so remember to follow us on Twitter @CPR_UL and find us on Facebook at Centre for Prehospital Research UL.