Assessing Lift-Off Times for a Hospital-Based Helicopter Transport Program.

OBJECTIVE: Hospital-based helicopter transport programs must define and track their own lift-off times (LOTs). The goal of this quality improvement study was to evaluate LOTs, identify factors influencing LOTs, and implement changes to improve LOTs without compromising safety. METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of 248 flights during 2016 was completed using recorded times from our dispatch center. Actual LOTs were compared with policy LOT goals. Tasks for flight departure were identified, timed, and sorted into those that should not be pressured and those amenable to process change. RESULTS: Five tasks were identified as being amenable to process change. The average LOT for scene calls was 10.56 minutes (range, 1-22 minutes) and met our 10-minute policy goal 59% of the time. The average LOT for interfacility flights was 13.2 minutes (range, 4-76 minutes) and met the policy goal of 15 minutes 76.5% of the time. CONCLUSION: We identified tasks amenable to safe process change to decrease LOTs. The data supported LOT policy change to a single LOT goal of 13 minutes for all flights. This change represents an acceptable goal for all LOTs without compromising safety to our patients and teams.

Evaluation of a New Helicopter Crew Transport Fatigue Assessment.

Fatigue in air ambulance crews leads to decrements in performance and situational awareness that may contribute to aircraft accidents and patient care mistakes. Fatigue assessments completed by flight crews can give early warning when fatigue is accumulating. Countermeasures can then be implemented to improve performance and increase safety. No validated air ambulance fatigue assessment currently exists that incorporates transport-specific factors. The objective of this study was to validate a flight fatigue assessment that accounts for air transport-specific factors. Flight crewmembers from multiple air ambulance programs participated and completed assessments. Results were analyzed to determine if the assessment captured or predicted fatigue levels of crewmembers. When used to measure crewmember fatigue, the assessment was shown to consistently and reliably confirm accumulating fatigue and correlated with crew-reported levels of fatigue. A predicted fatigue scale was created to help crewmembers objectively identify their fatigue level. Used consistently, the transport fatigue assessment should increase awareness of accumulating fatigue. With awareness, crewmembers are better equipped to justify and take advantage of opportunities to mitigate their fatigue, increase crew coordination, enhance safety, and improve patient care.

History and significance of the trauma resuscitation flow sheet.

There is little to no written information in the literature regarding the origin of the trauma flow sheet. This vital document allows programs to evaluate initial processes of trauma care. This information populates the trauma registry and is reviewed in nearly every Trauma Process Improvement and Patient Safety conference when discerning the course of patient care. It is so vital, a scribe is assigned to complete this documentation task for all trauma resuscitations, and there are continual process improvement efforts in trauma centers across the nation to ensure complete and accurate data collection. Indeed, it is the single most important document reviewed by the verification committee when evaluating processes of care at site visits. Trauma surgeons often overlook its importance during resuscitation, as recording remains the domain of the trauma scribe. Yet it is the first document scrutinized when the outcome is less than what is expected. The development of the flow sheet is not a result of any consensus statement, expert work group, or mandate, but a result of organic evolution due to the need for relevant and better data. The purpose of this review is to outline the origin, importance, and critical utility of the trauma flow sheet.