Peter G Delaney1, Zachary J Eisner2, Alfred H Thullah3, Benjamin D Muller2, Kpawuru Sandy4, Philip S Boonstra5, John W Scott6, Krishnan Raghavendran6. 1. University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. petergde@med.umich.edu. 2. Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. 3. LFR International, Makeni, Sierra Leone. 4. Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, Freetown, Sierra Leone. 5. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 6. University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: WHO recommends training lay first responders (LFRs) as the first step toward formal emergency medical services development, yet no tool exists to evaluate LFR programs. METHODS: We developed Prehospital Emergency Trauma Care Assessment Tool (PETCAT), a seven-question survey administered to first-line hospital-based healthcare providers, to independently assess LFR prehospital intervention frequency and quality. PETCAT surveys were administered one month pre-LFR program launch (June 2019) in Makeni, Sierra Leone and again 14 months post-launch (August 2020). Using a difference-in-differences approach, PETCAT was also administered in a control city (Kenema) with no LFR training intervention during the study period at the same intervals to control for secular trends. PETCAT measured change in both the experimental and control locations. Cronbach's alpha, point bi-serial correlation, and inter-rater reliability using Cohen's Kappa assessed PETCAT reliability. RESULTS: PETCAT administration to 90 first-line, hospital-based healthcare providers found baseline prehospital intervention were rare in Makeni and Kenema prior to LFR program launch (1.2/10 vs. 1.8/10). Fourteen months post-LFR program implementation, PETCAT demonstrated prehospital interventions increased in Makeni with LFRs (5.2/10, p < 0.0001) and not in Kenema (1.2/10) by an adjusted difference of + 4.6 points/10 (p < 0.0001) ("never/rarely" to "half the time"), indicating negligible change due to secular trends. PETCAT demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.93, Cohen's K = 0.62). CONCLUSIONS: PETCAT measures changes in rates of prehospital care delivery by LFRs in a resource-limited African setting and may serve as a robust tool for independent EMS quality assessment.
BACKGROUND: WHO recommends training lay first responders (LFRs) as the first step toward formal emergency medical services development, yet no tool exists to evaluate LFR programs. METHODS: We developed Prehospital Emergency Trauma Care Assessment Tool (PETCAT), a seven-question survey administered to first-line hospital-based healthcare providers, to independently assess LFR prehospital intervention frequency and quality. PETCAT surveys were administered one month pre-LFR program launch (June 2019) in Makeni, Sierra Leone and again 14 months post-launch (August 2020). Using a difference-in-differences approach, PETCAT was also administered in a control city (Kenema) with no LFR training intervention during the study period at the same intervals to control for secular trends. PETCAT measured change in both the experimental and control locations. Cronbach's alpha, point bi-serial correlation, and inter-rater reliability using Cohen's Kappa assessed PETCAT reliability. RESULTS: PETCAT administration to 90 first-line, hospital-based healthcare providers found baseline prehospital intervention were rare in Makeni and Kenema prior to LFR program launch (1.2/10 vs. 1.8/10). Fourteen months post-LFR program implementation, PETCAT demonstrated prehospital interventions increased in Makeni with LFRs (5.2/10, p < 0.0001) and not in Kenema (1.2/10) by an adjusted difference of + 4.6 points/10 (p < 0.0001) ("never/rarely" to "half the time"), indicating negligible change due to secular trends. PETCAT demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.93, Cohen's K = 0.62). CONCLUSIONS: PETCAT measures changes in rates of prehospital care delivery by LFRs in a resource-limited African setting and may serve as a robust tool for independent EMS quality assessment.
Authors: Yaset Caicedo; Linda M Gallego; Hugo Jc Clavijo; Natalia Padilla-Londoño; Cindy-Natalia Gallego; Isabella Caicedo-Holguín; Mónica Guzmán-Rodríguez; Juan J Meléndez-Lugo; Alberto F García; Alexander E Salcedo; Michael W Parra; Fernando Rodríguez-Holguín; Carlos A Ordoñez Journal: Eur J Med Res Date: 2022-10-17 Impact factor: 4.981