Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Apr 3;28(1):25.
doi: 10.1186/s13049-020-0716-1.

Template for documenting and reporting data in physician-staffed pre-hospital services: a consensus-based update

Kristin Tønsager  1   2   3 , Andreas Jørstad Krüger  4   5 , Kjetil Gorseth Ringdal  6   7 , Marius Rehn  4   8   9 ; P-EMS Template Collaborating Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Template for documenting and reporting data in physician-staffed pre-hospital services: a consensus-based update

Kristin Tønsager et al. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Background: Physician-staffed emergency medical services (p-EMS) are resource demanding, and research is needed to evaluate any potential effects of p-EMS. Templates, designed through expert agreement, are valuable and feasible, but they need to be updated on a regular basis due to developments in available equipment and treatment options. In 2011, a consensus-based template documenting and reporting data in p-EMS was published. We aimed to revise and update the template for documenting and reporting in p-EMS.

Methods: A Delphi method was applied to achieve a consensus from a panel of selected European experts. The experts were blinded to each other until a consensus was reached, and all responses were anonymized. The experts were asked to propose variables within five predefined sections. There was also an optional sixth section for variables that did not fit into the pre-defined sections. Experts were asked to review and rate all variables from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree) based on relevance, and consensus was defined as variables rated ≥4 by more than 70% of the experts.

Results: Eleven experts participated. The experts generated 194 unique variables in the first round. After five rounds, a consensus was reached. The updated dataset was an expanded version of the original dataset and the template was expanded from 45 to 73 main variables. The experts approved the final version of the template.

Conclusions: Using a Delphi method, we have updated the template for documenting and reporting in p-EMS. We recommend implementing the dataset for standard reporting in p-EMS.

Keywords: Air ambulances; Consensus; Data collection; Documentation; Emergency medical services; Physician; Pre-hospital; Quality of health care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Suggested variables. Number of suggested variables for the different sections in the first round of the Delphi process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Included variables. Final number of variables included in the updated template
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Den Hartog D, Romeo J, Ringburg AN, Verhofstad MH, Van Lieshout EM. Survival benefit of physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) assistance for severely injured patients. Injury. 2015;46:1281–1286. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2015.04.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andruszkow H, Lefering R, Frink M, Mommsen P, Zeckey C, Rahe K, Krettek C, Hildebrand F. Survival benefit of helicopter emergency medical services compared to ground emergency medical services in traumatized patients. Crit Care. 2013;17:R124. doi: 10.1186/cc12796. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Frankema SP, Ringburg AN, Steyerberg EW, Edwards MJ, Schipper IB, van Vugt AB. Beneficial effect of helicopter emergency medical services on survival of severely injured patients. Br J Surg. 2004;91:1520–1526. doi: 10.1002/bjs.4756. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Giannakopoulos GF, Kolodzinskyi MN, Christiaans HM, Boer C, de Lange-de Klerk ES, Zuidema WP, Bloemers FW, Bakker FC. Helicopter emergency medical services save lives: outcome in a cohort of 1073 polytraumatized patients. Eur J Emerg Med. 2013;20:79–85. doi: 10.1097/MEJ.0b013e328352ac9b. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ringburg AN, Thomas SH, Steyerberg EW, van Lieshout EM, Patka P, Schipper IB. Lives saved by helicopter emergency medical services: an overview of literature. Air Med J. 2009;28:298–302. doi: 10.1016/j.amj.2009.03.007. - DOI - PubMed