Understanding the Effect of Electronic Prehospital Medical Records in Ambulances: A Qualitative Observational Study in a Prehospital Setting
Open Access
- 27 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (5), 2330
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052330
Abstract
Little is known of ambulance professionals’ work practices regarding the use of medical records, their communication with patients, before and during hand over to Emergency Departments (ED). An electronic Prehospital Medical Record (ePMR) has been implemented in all Danish ambulances since 2015. Our aim was to investigate the use of ePMR and whether it affected the ambulance professionals’ clinical practice. We performed a qualitative study with observations of ePMR use in ambulance runs in the North Denmark Region. Furthermore, informal interviews with ambulance professionals was performed. Analysis was accomplished with inspiration from grounded theory. Our main findings were: (1) the ePMR is an essential work tool which aided ambulance professionals with overview of data collection and facilitated a checklist for ED hand overs, (2) mobility and flexibility of the ePMR facilitated conversations and relations with the patients, and (3) in acute severe situations, the ePMR could not stand alone in hand over or communication with the ED. The ePMR affected the ambulance professionals’ work practice in various ways and utilization of ePMR while simultaneously treating patients in ambulances does not obstruct the relation with the patient. To this end, the ePMR appears feasible in collaboration across the prehospital setting.This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Unified Electronic Tool for CPR and Emergency Treatment Escalation Plans Improves Communication and Early Collaborative Decision Making for Acute Hospital AdmissionsBMJ Quality Improvement Reports, 2017
- Real-time tablet-based resuscitation documentation by the team leader: evaluating documentation quality and clinical performanceScandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 2016
- Tablet-based cardiac arrest documentation: A pilot studyResuscitation, 2013
- Emergency Care Handover (ECHO study) across care boundaries: the need for joint decision making and consideration of psychosocial historyEmergency Medicine Journal, 2013
- Usage of documented pre-hospital observations in secondary care: a questionnaire study and retrospective comparison of recordsScandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 2013
- E-EPR: a workflow-based electronic emergency patient recordPersonal and Ubiquitous Computing, 2012
- A Review of 25 Years of CSCW Research in Healthcare: Contributions, Challenges and Future AgendasComputer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 2012
- Clinical decision making in a high-risk primary care environment: a qualitative study in the UKBMJ Open, 2012
- Tensions and Paradoxes in Electronic Patient Record Research: A Systematic Literature Review Using the Meta‐narrative MethodThe Milbank Quarterly, 2009
- Lost in translation: Maximizing handover effectiveness between paramedics and receiving staff in the emergency departmentEmergency Medicine Australasia, 2009