Research and Audit

EMRS is committed to ongoing research and audit around remote and rural emergency care. This was a part of the voluntary Argyll & Bute retrieval service and has been extended and expanded in the current EMRS operation. EMRS contibues to undertake long term follow up of patients retrieved and examples of current projects are listed below.

Title of study Current status 
 Effect of fatigue on performance Funding received and study underway
 Long term health outcomes of critically ill and injured rural patients retrieved by EMRS Ethics approval and funding application in progress
 Use of videolaryngoscopy during Simulated C-spine injury Data collection underway
 Patient outcomes following therapeutic hypothermia Ongoing data collection
 One year survival and outcomes of EMRS patients Funding application in progress
 Apnoeic oxygenation in primary and secondary emergency anaesthesia Data collection underway
Stress levels during simulated scenario teaching Data collection underway
 Time taken for rural clinicians arranging patient transport & retrievalData collection underway

 

As part of our clinical governance, EMRS undertakes internal audits of our service against external standards. We have recently completed audits against AAGBI 2006 Brain Injury guidelines and ICS Guidelines for the Transport of the Critically Ill Adult (3rd edition 2011).

EMRS is now part of the EUPHOREA group, collaborating with partner aeromedical organisations around Europe and beyond in research projects.

We also are part of an international benchmarking project comparing aeromedical standards of service around the world.