Medical Student
Bjarke Kjær Hansen
Prehospital Research Unit, Prehospital South
| Project management | ||
| Project status | Open | |
| Data collection dates | ||
| Start | 01.09.2024 | |
| End | 15.06.2025 | |
Prehospital treat-and-release of patients following ambulance contact
Short summary
Little is known about patients who, following contact with the emergency medical system are released at the scene. As these patients are not seen at the hospital, research surrounding these patients has been scarce. We envision that we will be able to illustrate the extent of treat-and-release in the prehospital service, to illustrate the action diagnoses assigned by the emergency dispatch centre, and to illustrate the safety of treat-and-release in the prehospital service.
Rationale
Crowding of the emergency departments is an increasing problem, potentially reducing the level of care necessary for patients who do need immediate treatment. Treating and releasing patients with illnesses of lesser acuity in their homes has the potential to reduce crowding. Furthermore, the immediate need for every emergency patient is not necessarily met at the hospital. Other healthcare solutions may be of greater benefit than mere transportation to the hospital. Safety is, however, a key issue in releasing patients at the scene. The study aims to describe the reasons behind treat-and-release of patients by ambulance personnel, potential consultations with medical doctors or other healthcare personnel, and the safety issues involved.
Description of the cohort
The target population is the total ambulance population who were not transported to a hospital following contact with ambulance personnel, in the Region of Southern Denmark from June 1st 2023 to May 31st 2024.
Data and biological material
The data sources are the records from the electronic prehospital medical record system (PPJ) and the in-hospital medical records within the Region of Southern Denmark (EPJ).