Prehospital Care Research Forum (PCRF) Journal Club

Power, hierarchy, and poor team culture can put patient care at risk. By understanding the complex psychosocial and clinical challenges that new graduates face, is it possible for a new graduate to actively intervene on behalf of team and patient safety? Join us to discuss this qualitative study exploring how educators can prepare graduates to speak up for safety.

Early recognition and rapid defibrillation of shockable rhythms are strongly associated with survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Little is known about the accuracy of paramedic rhythm interpretation and its impact on survival. Join us on the next podcast to review a study that seeks to determine if paramedic interpretation of initial rhythm would be associated with survival. Article...

The societal burden of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) is enormous. One major focus of evidence-based TBI treatment guidelines is the prevention and treatment of hypotension. However, little is known about the out-of-hospital blood pressure ranges associated with optimal outcomes in TBI. Join us at the next PCRF Journal Club as we review a study that identified the out-of-hospital systolic blood p...

Falls in Older Adults Requiring Emergency Services: Mortality, Use of Healthcare Resources, and Prognostication to One Year Although falls among older adults are common and frequently require emergency services, research on long-term outcomes and prognostication is sparse. Come join us at the next Journal Club to examine healthcare use and one-year survival among older adults who fall and find out...

Is AVPU just as informative as GCS? This cross-sectional study is aimed to assess whether prehospital AVPU categorization correlates with GCS severity categorization and, similarly, with mortality rates in trauma victims. Article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2022.06.042 To view the video, visit: https://youtu.be/8j62LLueSNY

Prehospital needle decompression is a rare but potentially life-saving procedure. Prior studies on chest decompression in trauma patients have been small, limited to single institutions or emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, and lacked appropriate comparator groups, making the effectiveness of this intervention uncertain. This Journal Club episode reviews a study that examined the associati...

EMS witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can be challenging for the EMS clinicians attending to the patient, even though patients who suffer OHCA in front of emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians have a greater likelihood of survival. Little is known about how EMS clinicians think about and experience those events. Come join us at the next PCRF Journal Club where we review a study that s...

The administration of a high fraction of oxygen following the return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest may increase reperfusion brain injury. Join us at the next PCRF Journal Club as we review a study that evaluated whether targeting a lower oxygen saturation in the early phase of post-resuscitation care for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest improves survival at hospital di...

Medication for opioid use disorder is extremely effective and can reduce overdose mortality by two-thirds. However, treatment initiation rates are low among overdose survivors. Prehospital buprenorphine administration after an overdose has the potential to help treat withdrawal symptoms and reduce repeat overdoses. Come join us at the next PCRF Journal Club to find out if the prehospital administr...

Long-duration shifts, variable shift scheduling, limited time off between shifts, and other factors are linked to fatigue in EMS shift workers. Odds of injury, error and adverse events are higher among U.S.-based EMS clinicians who report fatigue vs. those who do not. Come join us at the next PCRF Journal Club as we review a cluster-randomized trial that tests whether EMS clinicians randomized to...

Prior studies suggest that EMS utilization in children may vary by socioeconomic status. However, most of these studies were small, and focused on regional data. Join us as we review a recently published study that used the National EMS Information System 2019 dataset and the Child Opportunity Index to evaluate EMS utilization in children based on structural, economic, and environmental conditions...

Compassion fatigue is the acute or gradual loss of benevolence that occurs after exposure to critical incident stress. The study we will review this month uses a cross-sectional survey to identify the prevalence and predictors of compassion fatigue among EMS professionals. Article: Secondary Traumatic Stress in Emergency Services Systems (STRESS) Project: Quantifying and Predicting Compassion Fati...

Several studies have demonstrated the high frequency of medication errors in pediatric patients by prehospital providers during both patient care and simulation. Does the addition of a pediatric field guide improve the percentage of correct doses? Come join us at the next PCRF Journal Club to find out! Article: Medication Errors in Pediatric Patients after Implementation of a Field Guide with Volu...

EMS providers pride themselves on the great care we deliver, but is that care equitable for all our patients? Join us for this second special edition PCRF journal club with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee of the National Association of EMS Physicians. Dr. Andra Farcas and the panel of authors will discuss their recent systematic scoping review on disparities in EMS care. After scree...