ArticleScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2020
The accuracy of preliminary diagnoses made by paramedics - a cross-sectional comparative study.
Article in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Identification of diagnostic discrepancies as a quality assurance measure in emergency medicine - a validation study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Trial
- Prehospital Normoventilation in Critically Ill Anaesthetised Patients Cannot Be Reliably Monitored by Capnography-A Retrospective Observational Study.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2026Observational
- Interpretation Accuracy and Theoretical Decision Impact of Prehospital Ultrasound for Paramedics - Analysis of a Rural Pilot Program.Prehospital emergency care · 2026Observational
- Comparison of return of spontaneous circulation prediction scores in patients with cardiac arrest during ambulance transport.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Accuracy of early shock recognition by paramedics: a multicenter prospective observational study in Japan.Journal of rural medicine : JRM · 2025Article
- Evaluation of pre- and in-hospital workflows and time intervals with acute ischemic stroke patients.PloS one · 2025Article
- Impact of Prehospital Ultrasound Training on Simulated Paramedic Clinical Decision-Making.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Acil servis tanıları ile paramediklerin ilk değerlendirme tanılarının karşılaştırılması.Ulusal travma ve acil cerrahi dergisi = Turkish journal of trauma & emergency surgery : TJTES · 2024Observational
- Diagnostic agreement between emergency medical service and emergency department physicians, a prospective multicentre study.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Observational
- ICD-10 Classification in the Practice of Emergency Medical Teams: New Insights.Emergency medicine international · 2024Article
- Characteristics of Emergencies in the Workplace from the Perspective of the Emergency Medical Services: A 4-Year Case-Control Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Emergency medical care of patients with psychiatric disorders - challenges and opportunities: Results of a multicenter survey.BMC emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Prehospital Stroke Care, Paramedic Training Needs, and Hospital-Directed Feedback in Lithuania.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Standardised data collection in prehospital critical care: a comparison of medical problem categories and discharge diagnoses.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2022Observational
- European Stroke Organisation (ESO) guidelines on mobile stroke units for prehospital stroke management.European stroke journal · 2022Article
- Human errors and factors that influence patient safety in the pre-hospital emergency care setting: Perspectives of South African emergency care practitioners.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2022Article
- Exploring safety culture in the Finnish ambulance service with Emergency Medical Services Safety Attitudes Questionnaire.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2021Article
- EMS non-conveyance: A safe practice to decrease ED crowding or a threat to patient safety?BMC emergency medicine · 2021Article
- Frequency and severity of prehospital obstetric events encountered by emergency medical services in the United States.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Management of respiratory distress following prehospital implementation of noninvasive ventilation in a physician-staffed emergency medical service: a single-center retrospective study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundClinical decision-making skills of paramedics have been emphasized because of the growing complexity of emergency medicine nursing. A preliminary diagnosis made by a paramedic has an essential role in directing the subsequent care. An accurate preliminary diagnosis improves the patient's outcome. The research in this area is relatively scarce and there are no previous studies in Finland describing the accuracy of preliminary diagnoses made by paramedics. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether paramedics are making accurate preliminary diagnoses for the patients they are transporting to hospital. In addition, the aim was to describe the variables related to an accurate preliminary diagnosis.
methodsA cross-sectional comparative approach was used and conducted through a questionnaire to gather data from the paramedics. A total of 71 paramedics participated in the study and 378 patient cases were included. The paramedics were asked to describe the basic information of a case, to state their preliminary diagnosis, and give their own educational background. The accuracy of the paramedic's preliminary diagnosis was compared with the discharge diagnosis of the ED physicians retrieved from hospital's patient records. Logistic regression analysis and a binomial test were used to test the statistical significance.
resultsThe agreement between the paramedics' preliminary diagnosis vs. hospital diagnosis was 70% (n = 261). Diagnostic accuracy varied according to the medical condition from mental diseases and intoxication (86%, p = 0,000), cerebral strokes (81%, p = 0,007) to infections (31% p = 0,029). The educational background of a bachelor-degree-level paramedic (p = 0,016, 95% Cl 1,7-139,6) and a good self-assessment value (p = 0,003, 95% Cl 1,2-2,7) were related to making a correct diagnosis.
conclusionsParamedics are able to determine preliminary diagnoses at satisfactory level. The relationship between educational background and diagnostic accuracy suggests that there is a definitive need for a specific pre-hospital nursing education.
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