Patient Outcomes in Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Documentaries and on Air Ambulance Websites.

Background Helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) documentaries attract millions of viewers, and publicly available patient stories on Air Ambulance websites are vital to raise awareness and funding for Air Ambulance charities in the United Kingdom (UK). Despite abundant research investigating how fictional programs and news outlets present patient health outcomes, there are no comprehensive studies that investigate how non-fictional HEMS documentaries or Air Ambulance websites present patient outcomes. The aim of this study is to capture the frequency of poor outcomes (mortality) in patients broadcasted on documentaries focusing on HEMS and the patient stories section of UK Air Ambulance websites. Methods A retrospective cohort study reviewed five HEMS documentaries between January 2016 and October 2019 and 20 Air Ambulance websites that had patient stories published until October 2020. In all, 628 patients identified fit the eligibility criteria: 311 from HEMS documentaries and 317 patients from Air Ambulance websites.  Results In all, 0.64% (4/628) of patients died before the hospital, including 0.96% (3/311) of patients on HEMS documentaries and 0.32% (1/317) of patients on Air Ambulance websites. In addition, 2.23% (14/628) of patients died according to their final mention in the data source, including 1.93% (6/311) of patients on HEMS documentaries and 2.52% (8/317) of patients on Air Ambulance websites. Conclusions This study suggests under-reporting of poor patient outcomes in HEMS documentaries and on UK Air Ambulance websites. This could be attributed to the logistical and ethical implications of capturing and presenting poor outcomes but likely impacts upon public perception. Medical professionals should recognize this in order to proactively address potential misconceptions when communicating with patients and their families.

Use of ultrasonography to avoid an unnecessary procedure in the prehospital combat environment: a case report.

The role of ultrasonography in the prehospital combat setting has become a useful tool for triage, diagnosis, and treatment. Recent literature has demonstrated that ultrasonography has a greater sensitivity and specificity than clinical examination and plain radiography for pneumothorax detection in trauma patients, particularly small pneumothoraces. This becomes especially critical in austere and remote environments. Although many pneumothoraces are initially considered non-life-threatening, austere and combat environments possess additional risks of limited supplies, multiple casualties, and prolonged evacuation times that may potentially increase the morbidity of these injuries. This case report discusses the role of ultrasonography in pneumothorax detection in the prehospital combat environment.