Variation in ambulance pre-alert process and practice: cross-sectional survey of ambulance clinicians.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ambulance clinicians use pre-alert calls to inform emergency departments (EDs) about the arrival of critically ill patients. However, there is variation in guidance between local ambulance service policies in terms of what should be pre-alerted and how pre-alerts should happen. We conducted a national online survey to understand the use of ambulance pre-alerts and to inform recommendations for practice and guidance.

Methods

Ambulance clinicians in England involved in pre-alert decision-making were recruited via ambulance trusts and social media to complete an anonymous online survey conducted during May-July 2023. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively using SPSS (version 28) and free-text responses are reported to illustrate the quantitative findings.

Re

SUBMITTER: Coster JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874312 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature