Engelsk titel: Development of events in medical emergency situations in a rural community
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Författare:
Hunskår S
;
Rörtveit S
Email: sverre.rortveit@austevoll.kommune.no
Språk: Nor
Antal referenser: 5
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 09041570
Sammanfattning
Background. No studies of emergency medical incidents and responses in Norwegian rural communities have previously been done. As part of a larger investigation of emergency medicine in a rural community, in this study we have identified such situations and the problems associated with them in more detail.
Material and method. Austevoll is an island community with no connection by bridge to the mainland. It is located to the south of Bergen, and has approximately 4,400 inhabitants. All emergency incidents occurring there were registered over a period of two years. Data were collected on the assessment of the situation when notification was received and when the patient was examined, the relationship between the assessments made by the doctor and those made by the ambulance personnel, and the treatment initiated.
Results. A total of 236 emergency events were recorded. For 43 per cent of the patients the doctor’s assessment of the sev-erity of the situation was downgraded from the emergency call to the actual examination of the patient, while the event was up-graded for 11 per cent. For alarms dispatched from the emergency medical communication centres, the doctors downgraded their assessment of the severity of the patient’s condition in 67 per cent of all cas-es, while the ambulance personnel downgraded their assessment in 85 per cent of the cases. A residential home constituted the first location for provision of treatment in 63 per cent of the cases. The most frequent emergency res-ponses were venous cannulation, airway measures, including administration of O2, ECG recording and/or monitoring of cardiac rhythm and parenteral administration of drugs.
Interpretation. The competence of GPs in emergency medicine should primarily encompass the basic practical procedures. The doctors and the ambulance personnel have complementary roles in the handling of emergency medical events. The ability to obtain an adequate overall view of the patient’s condition is an important aspect of the doctor’s role.