Ben Beck1, Janet E Bray1,2, Karen Smith1,3,4, Tony Walker3, Hugh Grantham5,6, Cindy Hein5,6, Melanie Thorrowgood6, Anthony Smith7, Madoka Inoue2, Tony Smith8, Bridget Dicker8,9, Andy Swain9,10,11, Emma Bosley12,13, Katherine Pemberton12, Michael McKay14, Malcolm Johnston-Leek14, Peter Cameron1,15, Gavin D Perkins16, Judith Finn1,2,4,7. 1. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 2. Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit (PRECRU), Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 3. Department of Research and Evaluation, Ambulance Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 4. Discipline of Emergency Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 5. Department of Paramedics, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 6. SA Ambulance Service, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 7. St John Ambulance Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 8. St John New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand. 9. Department of Paramedicine, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. 10. Wellington Free Ambulance, Wellington, New Zealand. 11. Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand. 12. Queensland Ambulance Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 13. School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 14. St John Ambulance NT, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. 15. Emergency and Trauma Centre, The Alfred, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 16. Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to describe and examine similarities and differences in the current service provision and resuscitation protocols of the ambulance services participating in the Aus-ROC Australian and New Zealand out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) Epistry. Understanding these similarities and differences is important in identifying ambulance service factors that might explain regional variation in survival of OHCA in the Aus-ROC Epistry. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was completed by each of the ambulance services participating in the Aus-ROC Epistry. These ambulance services were SA Ambulance Service, Ambulance Victoria, St John Ambulance Western Australia, Queensland Ambulance Service, St John Ambulance NT, St John New Zealand and Wellington Free Ambulance. The survey aimed to describe ambulance service and dispatch characteristics, resuscitation protocols and details of cardiac arrest registries. RESULTS: We observed similarities between services with respect to the treatment of OHCA and dispatch systems. Differences between services were observed in the serviced population; the proportion of paramedics with basic life support, advanced life support or intensive care training skills; the number of OHCA cases attended; guidelines related to withholding or terminating resuscitation attempts; and the variables that might be used to define 'attempted resuscitation'. All seven participating ambulance services were noted to have existing OHCA registries. CONCLUSION: There is marked variation between ambulance services currently participating in the Aus-ROC Australian and New Zealand OHCA Epistry with respect to workforce characteristics and key variable definitions. This variation between ambulance services might account for a proportion of the regional variation in survival of OHCA.
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to describe and examine similarities and differences in the current service provision and resuscitation protocols of the ambulance services participating in the Aus-ROC Australian and New Zealand out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) Epistry. Understanding these similarities and differences is important in identifying ambulance service factors that might explain regional variation in survival of OHCA in the Aus-ROC Epistry. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was completed by each of the ambulance services participating in the Aus-ROC Epistry. These ambulance services were SA Ambulance Service, Ambulance Victoria, St John Ambulance Western Australia, Queensland Ambulance Service, St John Ambulance NT, St John New Zealand and Wellington Free Ambulance. The survey aimed to describe ambulance service and dispatch characteristics, resuscitation protocols and details of cardiac arrest registries. RESULTS: We observed similarities between services with respect to the treatment of OHCA and dispatch systems. Differences between services were observed in the serviced population; the proportion of paramedics with basic life support, advanced life support or intensive care training skills; the number of OHCA cases attended; guidelines related to withholding or terminating resuscitation attempts; and the variables that might be used to define 'attempted resuscitation'. All seven participating ambulance services were noted to have existing OHCA registries. CONCLUSION: There is marked variation between ambulance services currently participating in the Aus-ROC Australian and New Zealand OHCA Epistry with respect to workforce characteristics and key variable definitions. This variation between ambulance services might account for a proportion of the regional variation in survival of OHCA.
Authors: Melanie R Wittwer; Emily Aldridge; Cindy Hein; Mel Thorrowgood; Chris Zeitz; John F Beltrame; Margaret A Arstall Journal: Front Cardiovasc Med Date: 2022-04-08
Authors: Ingvild B M Tjelmeland; Siobhan Masterson; Johan Herlitz; Jan Wnent; Leo Bossaert; Fernando Rosell-Ortiz; Kristin Alm-Kruse; Berthold Bein; Gisela Lilja; Jan-Thorsten Gräsner Journal: Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med Date: 2020-10-19 Impact factor: 2.953