John Renshaw1, Mary Halter2, Tom Quinn3. 1. Kingston University and St George's, University of London; University of Wolverhampton ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5774-5877. 2. Kingston University and St George's, University of London ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6636-0621. 3. Kingston University and St George's, University of London ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5116-0034.
Abstract
Introduction: Emergency medical services (EMS) use a combination of policy, clinical practice guidelines and protocols to set out their expectations for service delivery and to inform patient care. While these are integral to how EMS now operate, relatively little is known about how they are developed, or the processes involved. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to understand what is known in the literature about the development of policy, guidelines and protocols within EMS. Methods: This scoping review will follow the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodological framework for scoping reviews. A search strategy has been developed using index term definitions, building from authors' knowledge of the field. The following electronic databases will be searched from 2002 to 2021 for all types of publication: CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search Complete and PsycINFO, EMBASE, Nursing and Allied Health, the Cochrane library, NICE Evidence, Scopus, OpenGrey, EThOS, Google Scholar, Google search and key EMS journal websites. The results will be downloaded using EndNoteX9 reference management software and duplicates will be removed. Titles and abstracts of the results will be independently screened for their relevance to the research question, and the full text of each selected publication will be assessed against pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria to determine its eligibility. The reference list and forward citations will be searched for articles meeting the eligibility criteria. A second researcher will independently assess a 10% sample of results to allow for validation of this assessment. Data will be extracted and charted on the characteristics of the publications and the knowledge they contribute on the development of policy, guidelines or protocols. Accompanying narratives will be presented to identify themes and gaps in the available evidence. A critical appraisal will be undertaken of the included publications, where empirical research is presented.
Introduction: Emergency medical services (EMS) use a combination of policy, clinical practice guidelines and protocols to set out their expectations for service delivery and to inform patient care. While these are integral to how EMS now operate, relatively little is known about how they are developed, or the processes involved. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to understand what is known in the literature about the development of policy, guidelines and protocols within EMS. Methods: This scoping review will follow the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodological framework for scoping reviews. A search strategy has been developed using index term definitions, building from authors' knowledge of the field. The following electronic databases will be searched from 2002 to 2021 for all types of publication: CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search Complete and PsycINFO, EMBASE, Nursing and Allied Health, the Cochrane library, NICE Evidence, Scopus, OpenGrey, EThOS, Google Scholar, Google search and key EMS journal websites. The results will be downloaded using EndNoteX9 reference management software and duplicates will be removed. Titles and abstracts of the results will be independently screened for their relevance to the research question, and the full text of each selected publication will be assessed against pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria to determine its eligibility. The reference list and forward citations will be searched for articles meeting the eligibility criteria. A second researcher will independently assess a 10% sample of results to allow for validation of this assessment. Data will be extracted and charted on the characteristics of the publications and the knowledge they contribute on the development of policy, guidelines or protocols. Accompanying narratives will be presented to identify themes and gaps in the available evidence. A critical appraisal will be undertaken of the included publications, where empirical research is presented.
Authors: Melissa C Brouwers; Michelle E Kho; George P Browman; Jako S Burgers; Francoise Cluzeau; Gene Feder; Béatrice Fervers; Ian D Graham; Jeremy Grimshaw; Steven E Hanna; Peter Littlejohns; Julie Makarski; Louise Zitzelsberger Journal: CMAJ Date: 2010-07-05 Impact factor: 8.262
Authors: Mark S Link; Lauren C Berkow; Peter J Kudenchuk; Henry R Halperin; Erik P Hess; Vivek K Moitra; Robert W Neumar; Brian J O'Neil; James H Paxton; Scott M Silvers; Roger D White; Demetris Yannopoulos; Michael W Donnino Journal: Circulation Date: 2015-11-03 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Christian Martin-Gill; Joshua B Gaither; Blair L Bigham; J Brent Myers; Douglas F Kupas; Daniel W Spaite Journal: Prehosp Emerg Care Date: 2016-01-25 Impact factor: 3.077
Authors: Andrea C Tricco; Erin Lillie; Wasifa Zarin; Kelly K O'Brien; Heather Colquhoun; Danielle Levac; David Moher; Micah D J Peters; Tanya Horsley; Laura Weeks; Susanne Hempel; Elie A Akl; Christine Chang; Jessie McGowan; Lesley Stewart; Lisa Hartling; Adrian Aldcroft; Michael G Wilson; Chantelle Garritty; Simon Lewin; Christina M Godfrey; Marilyn T Macdonald; Etienne V Langlois; Karla Soares-Weiser; Jo Moriarty; Tammy Clifford; Özge Tunçalp; Sharon E Straus Journal: Ann Intern Med Date: 2018-09-04 Impact factor: 25.391
Authors: Steven Woolf; Holger J Schünemann; Martin P Eccles; Jeremy M Grimshaw; Paul Shekelle Journal: Implement Sci Date: 2012-07-04 Impact factor: 7.327