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NCT06922019

Ambulance Clinicians' Experiences of Attending OHCA in Children

Sponsor: University of Warwick

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

Summary

This research will explore ambulance clinicians' experiences of attending out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) incidents involving children. OHCA occurs when the heart stops beating. This is a time critical emergency that requires immediate treatment to maximise the changes of survival. OHCA affecting children is rare, but when it happens it is vital that paramedics and other ambulance clinicians can respond and deliver high quality care. Because OHCA in children is rare, ambulance clinicians attend these incidents infrequently. Some clinicians may only ever attend this type of incident once in their career. These incidents are technically challenging for ambulance clinicians, and highly stressful. Evidence from other setting suggests that clinicians may be ill-prepared to manage these events. This research aims to understand how OHCA incidents involving children are currently managed, and to explore the views and experiences of ambulance clinicians with respect to attending OHCA incidents involving children. By learning from what is currently being done, and from clinicians' experiences, the research team aims to develop recommendations for how the response to these patients, and the support provided to ambulance clinicians, could be improved. The research team will review the records of patients under the age of 18 who have been treated for OHCA by one ambulance service over a four-year period. Data will be collected from these records to allow the care delivered to be compared to international guidelines, and to explore what factors might influence the delivery of this care. The research will also involve a survey of ambulance clinicians working across the UK to understand their experiences, and how prepared they feel to attend these incidents. Finally, the research team will undertake interviews with clinicians who have been involved in the management of a child with OHCA and focus group discussions with specialist clinicians to allow us to learn from their experiences.

Official title: Exploring UK Ambulance Clinicians' Experiences of Attending Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Incidents Involving Children: A Mixed Methods Study

Key Details

Gender

All

Age Range

Any - Any

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

2137

Start Date

2025-05-01

Completion Date

2027-01

Last Updated

2025-04-10

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Conditions

Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Out of hospital cardiac arrest patients Inclusion Criteria: * Patients attended by London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) * Incidents occurring between January 2021 and December 2024 * Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest recognised by LAS clinicians * Aged under 18 years at the time the incident occurred Exclusion Criteria: * New born patients who had not taken their first spontaneous breath before cardiac arrest was recognised * Incidents occurring outside of LAS' operational area (Greater London, UK) * Patients who have registered an NHS National Data Opt-Out Survey participants Inclusion Criteria: * Ambulance clinician (including registered healthcare professionals and non-registered ambulance clinicians) * Currently responds to 999 calls (face to face) as part of their role * Would be expected to attend a paediatric OHCA incident as part of their role * Consents to participate in study Exclusion Criteria: * Non-clinical ambulance service employee * Not employed by an NHS Ambulance Service in the UK Interview participants (recent exposure) Inclusion Criteria: * Ambulance clinician (including registered healthcare professionals and non-registered ambulance clinicians) * Employed by a participating NHS Ambulance Service Site * Attended an out of hospital cardiac arrest incident involving a child (\>1 day old, \< 18 years old) in the 12 months prior to the proposed interview date * Consents to participation in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Previously participated in an interview or focus group discussion as part of this study * Employed in a specialist critical care role (e.g. Critical Care Paramedic) * Attended an out of hospital cardiac arrest incident involving a child (\>1 day old, \<18 years old) within two weeks of the proposed interview date Interview participants (historic exposure) Inclusion Criteria: * Ambulance clinician (including registered healthcare professionals and non-registered ambulance clinicians) * Employed by a participating NHS Ambulance Service Site * Attended an out of hospital cardiac arrest incident involving a child (\>1 day old, \< 18 years old) more than 12 months prior to the proposed interview date * Consents to participation in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Previously participated in an interview or focus group discussion as part of this study * Attended an out of hospital cardiac arrest incident involving a child (\>1 day old, \< 18 years old) within 12 months of the proposed interview date * Employed in a specialist critical care role (e.g. Critical Care Paramedic) Focus group participants Inclusion Criteria: * Ambulance clinician employed in a specialist critical care role (e.g. Critical Care Paramedic) * Employed by a participating NHS Ambulance Service Site * Consents to participation in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Previously participated in an interview or focus group discussion as part of this study * Has not attended an out of hospital cardiac arrest incident involving a child (\>1 day old, \<18 years old) whilst working in a specialist critical care role (e.g. Critical Care Paramedic)

Locations (1)

University of Warwick

Coventry, United Kingdom