Family witnessed resuscitation and invasive procedures: Patient and family opinions.

BACKGROUND: Family presence during invasive procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (FPDR) is a highly controversial issue, with divergence of opinion among health professionals, with clinical evidence in favor, and with barriers to its implementation in comprehensive patient care. Many international organizations support health policies for its implementation, but it is not a widespread practice. Little research has been conducted on this subject from the perspective of patients and families. OBJECTIVE: To learn opinions, perceptions, and desires of family members and patients in terms of family presence during invasive procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. METHOD: Qualitative descriptive study, using semi-structured interviews with relatives and patients regarding their experiences and perceptions about FPDR (n = 18) from 8 October 2017 to 8 March 2018. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim for later analysis using the method of content analysis. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study has the approval of the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Fundació Unió Catalana d'Hospitals and ethical considerations were carefully regarded throughout the study. RESULTS: Three significant categories were identified: knowledge, respect for rights, and accompaniment of the patient, relating FPDR to courage, emotional support, and trust in professionals. CONCLUSION: FPDR is an unusual practice; it is not offered to patients or their families, and it is not considered a patient's right, although most of the interviewees support it. The desire for accompaniment is conditioned by the courage and knowledge of the accompanying persons, as well as the degree of invasiveness of the procedures. The results of this study provide information for a change of vision in patient-centered care.

Ethical values in emergency medical services: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Ambulance professionals often address conflicts between ethical values. As individuals' values represent basic convictions of what is right or good and motivate behaviour, research is needed to understand their value profiles. OBJECTIVES: To translate and adapt the Managerial Values Profile to Spanish and Swedish, and measure the presence of utilitarianism, moral rights and/or social justice in ambulance professionals' value profiles in Spain and Sweden. METHODS: The instrument was translated and culturally adapted. A content validity index was calculated. Pilot tests were carried out with 46 participants. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study conforms to the ethical principles for research involving human subjects and adheres to national laws and regulations concerning informed consent and confidentiality. FINDINGS: Spanish professionals favoured justice and Swedish professionals' rights in their ambulance organizations. Both countries favoured utilitarianism least. Gender differences across countries showed that males favoured rights. Spanish female professionals favoured justice most strongly of all. DISCUSSION: Swedes favour rights while Spaniards favour justice. Both contexts scored low on utilitarianism focusing on total population effect, preferring the opposite, individualized approach of the rights and justice perspectives. Organizational investment in a utilitarian perspective might jeopardize ambulance professionals' moral right to make individual assessments based on the needs of the patient at hand. Utilitarianism and a caring ethos appear as stark opposites. However, a caring ethos in its turn might well involve unreasonable demands on the individual carer's professional role. Since both the justice and rights perspectives portrayed in the survey mainly concern relationship to the organization and peers within the organization, this relationship might at worst be given priority over the equal treatment and moral rights of the patient. CONCLUSION: A balanced view on ethical perspectives is needed to make professionals observant and ready to act optimally - especially if these perspectives are used in patient care. Research is needed to clarify how justice and rights are prioritized by ambulance services and whether or not these organization-related values are also implemented in patient care.

Implementation of mechanical chest compression in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in an emergency medical service system.

AIM: The aim of this study is to describe the outcome changes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Gothenburg, Sweden, after introduction of mechanical chest compression (MCC). METHODS: Following introduction of MCC, 1183 OHCA patients were treated from November 1, 2007, to December 31, 2011 (period 2). They were compared with 1218 OHCA patients before MCC was introduced from January 1, 1998, to May 30, 2003 (period 1). Patients in period 2 were evaluated for survival in relation to MCC use. RESULTS: The percentage of patients admitted to hospital alive increased from 25.4% to 31.9% (P < .0001). Survival to 1 month increased from 7.1% to 10.7% (P = .002) from period 1 to period 2. The proportion of ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia decreased in period 2 (P = .002). However, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (P < .0001), crew-witnessed cases (P = .04), percutaneous coronary intervention (P < .0001), therapeutic hypothermia (P < .0001), and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator use (P = .01) increased, as did time from call to emergency medicine service arrival (P < .0001) and to defibrillation (P = .006). In period 2, 60% of OHCA patients were treated with MCC. The percentages admitted alive to hospital (MCC vs no MCC) were 28.6% and 36.1% (P = .008). Corresponding figures for survival to 1 month were 5.6% and 17.6% (P < .0001). In the MCC group, we found increase in the delay from collapse to defibrillation (P < .0001), greater use of adrenaline (P < .0001), and fewer crew-witnessed cases (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Survival to 1 month after implementation of MCC was higher than before introduction. However, patients receiving MCC had low survival. Although case selection might play a role, results do not support a widespread use of MCC after OHCA.

Survival in ventricular fibrillation with emphasis on the number of defibrillations in relation to other factors at resuscitation.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality after out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is high and a shockable rhythm is a key predictor of survival. A concomitant need for repeated shocks appears to be associated with less favorable outcome. AIM: To, among patients found in ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (pVT) describe: (a) factors associated with 30-day survival with emphasis on the number of defibrillatory shocks delivered; (b) the distribution of and the characteristics of patients in relation to the number of defibrillatory shocks that were delivered. METHODS: Patients who were reported to The Swedish Register for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR) between January 1 1990 and December 31 2015 and who were found in VF/pVT took part in the survey. RESULTS: In all there were 19,519 patients found in VF/pVT. The 30-day survival decreased with an increasing number of shocks among all patients regardless of witnessed status and regardless of time period in the survey. In a multivariate analysis there were 12 factors that were associated with the chance of 30-day survival one of which was the number of shocks that was delivered. For each shock that was added the chance of survival decreased. Factors associated with an increased 30-day survival included CPR before arrival of EMS, female sex, cardiac etiology and year of OHCA (increasing survival over years). Factors associated with a decreased chance of 30-day survival included: increasing age, OHCA at home, the use of adrenaline and intubation and an increased delay to CPR, defibrillation and EMS arrival. CONCLUSION: Among patients found in VF/pVT, 7.5% required more than 10 shocks. For each shock that was added the chance of 30-day survival decreased. There was an increase in 30-day survival over time regardless of the number of shocks. On top of the number of defibrillations, eleven further factors were associated with 30-day survival.

How the context of ambulance care influences learning to become a specialist ambulance nurse a Swedish perspective.

OBJECTIVES: Ambulance emergency care is multifaceted with extraordinary challenges to implement accurate assessment and care. A clinical learning environment providing opportunities for mastering these essential skills is a key component in ensuring that prehospital emergency nurse (PEN) students acquire the necessary clinical competence. AIM: The aim is to understand how PEN students experience their clinically based training, focusing on their learning process. METHOD: We applied content analysis with its qualitative method to our material that consisted of three reflections each by 28 PEN students over their learning process during their 8 weeks of clinical ambulance practice. The research was carried out at the Center for Prehospital Care, University of Borås, Sweden. RESULTS: The broad spectrum of ambulance assignments seems to awaken great uncertainty and excessive respect in the students. Student vulnerability appears to decrease when the clinical supervisor behaves calmly, knowledgeably, confidently and reflectively. Early traumatic incidents on the other hand may increase the students' anxiety. Each student is offered a unique opportunity to learn how to approach patients and relatives in their own environments, and likewise an opportunity to gather information for assessment. Infrequency of missions seems to make PEN students less active in their student role, thereby preventing them from availing themselves of potential learning situations. Fatigue and hunger due to lack of breaks or long periods of transportation also inhibit learning mode. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the need for appraisal of the significance of the clinical supervisor, the ambulance environment, and student vulnerability. The broad spectrum of conditions in combination with infrequent assignments make simulation necessary. However, the unique possibilities provided for meeting patients and relatives in their own environments offer the PEN student excellent opportunities for learning how to make assessments.