Helicopter emergency medical services in major incident management: A national Norwegian cross-sectional survey

Abstract

ObjectiveHelicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) aim to bring a highly specialised crew to the scene of major incidents for triage, treatment and transport. We aim to describe experiences made by HEMS in Norway in the management of major incidents.DesignDoctors, rescue paramedics and pilots working in Norwegian HEMS and Search and Rescue Helicopters (SAR) January 1st 2015 were invited to a cross-sectional study on experiences, preparedness and training in major incident management.ResultsWe identified a total of 329 Norwegian crewmembers of which 229 (70%) responded; doctors 101/150, (67%), rescue paramedics 64/78 (82%), pilots 64/101, (63%). HEMS and SAR crewmembers had experience from a median of 2 (interquartile range 0–6) major incidents. Road traffic incidents were the most frequent mechanism and blunt trauma the dominating injury. HEMS mainly contributed with triage, treatment and transport. Communication with other emergency services prior to arrival was described as bad, but good to excellent when cooperating on scene. The respondents called for more interdisciplinary exercises.ConclusionHEMS and SAR crewmembers have limited exposure to major incident management. Interdisciplinary training on frequent scenarios with focus on cooperation and communication is called for.

Static Rope Evacuation by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in Rescue Operations in Southeast Norway

“…More men (39) than women (21) were evacuated, and the patients were engaged in a variety of activities at the time of the injury or falling ill (Table 5). The median (quartiles) response time was 47 (33-62) min, including a median (quartiles) take-off time of 9 (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) 14; autumn [September−November]: 13). More than one-third of the incidents occurred during the weekend, with the most on Saturdays (n¼14).…”

What clinical crew competencies and qualifications are required for helicopter emergency medical services? A review of the literature

“…The search strategy led to the inclusion of 38 articles describing 20 HEMS models from 12 different countries. Five model descriptions included specific mention of a joint HEMS and inter-facility care function: Australia (New South Wales) [2]; Australia (Victoria) [3]; Eastern Denmark [4]; Norway [5]; Sweden (Dalarna) [6]. The remaining 15 models described a HEMS function only.…”

“…However, for the systematic review it was unclear whether the quality of studies included was sufficiently assessed [8]. For the survey-type studies, three were deemed to be of good quality, [5,9,10] while two did not report the survey response rate [11,12]. It was unclear from the final survey whether selection bias may have occurred [12].…”

A needs assessment of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Norway

“…In a sub-arctic climate, this can entail time-consuming response with weather-dependent flight conditions. The EMCC dispatch regular ambulances and 18 helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) units that covers the whole population [32]. Ambulance response intervals are generally short in Norway with a national median of 9 min [1], but HEMS units may have longer response intervals depending on patient location, other current missions or weather conditions.…”