Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Pan-Asian Trauma Outcomes Study (PATOS): Rationale and Methodology of an International and Multicenter Trauma Registry.
Trauma is a major health burden and a time-dependent critical emergency condition among developing and developed countries. In Asia, trauma has become a rapidly expanding epidemic and has spread out to many underdeveloped and developing countries through rapid urbanization and industrialization. Most casualties of severe trauma, which results in significant mortality and disability are assessed and transported by prehospital providers including physicians, professional providers, and volunteer providers. Trauma registries have been developed in mostly developed countries and measure care quality, process, and outcomes. In general, existing registries tend to focus on inhospital care rather than prehospital care. ⋯ The PATOS network is expected to provide comparison of the trauma EMS systems and to benchmark best practice with participating communities.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Observational Multicenter Study of a Direct-to-CT Protocol for EMS-transported Patients with Suspected Stroke.
In an effort to decrease door-to-needle times for patients with acute ischemic stroke, some hospitals have begun taking stable EMS patients with suspected stroke directly from the ambulance to the CT scanner, then to an emergency department (ED) bed for evaluation. Minimal data exist regarding the potential for time savings with such a protocol. The study hypothesis was that a direct-to-CT protocol would be associated with decreases in both door-to-CT-ordered and door-to-needle times. ⋯ In this sample from seven hospitals, a minimal reduction in door-to-CT-ordered and door-to-CT-started time, but no change in door-to-needle time, was found for EMS patients with suspected stroke taken directly to the CT scanner, compared to those evaluated in the ED prior to CT.