ArticleBMC emergency medicine2025
"It's about maintaining a calm and reassuring presence": a qualitative study about ambulance clinicians' experiences of caring for patients with breathlessness.
Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exploring realism in high-fidelity ambulance simulation: ambulance clinicians' perspectives on correspondence with everyday practice.Advances in simulation (London, England) · 2026Article
- "We need to accept our limited resources": a qualitative study exploring ambulance clinicians' experiences of working conditions when caring for patients with breathlessness.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundDespite breathlessness (dyspnoea) being a common and serious symptom that often necessitates ambulance care, there is still a limited understanding of how ambulance clinicians (ACs) experience and manage these situations in the pre-hospital setting. Given the potential severity and complexity of breathlessness, as well as its impact on patient outcomes, a deeper insight into ACs' perspectives is essential. This study aimed to explore ACs experiences of caring for patients with breathlessness within ambulance services.
methodsAn inductive qualitative design was employed. Data were collected through dyadic interviews with 16 ACs from two ambulance organizations in southwestern Sweden during two days in May and June 2021. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
resultsThe ACs experienced several challenges in caring for patients with breathlessness, which is captured in three generic categories: navigating patients' experiences during breathlessness, navigating relatives and their involvement, and navigating one's own capability in care. ACs highlighted challenges of identifying and addressing patients' individual needs, emphasizing the crucial role of trust-building. While ACs relied on their clinical expertise, assessing a patient's condition remained challenging in certain situations. Furthermore, their ability to manage stress and emotional demands were essential for providing quality care.
conclusionsThis study underscores the challenges of caring for patients with breathlessness, with ACs employing strategies to manage stress and establish a safe environment. Clinical experience and ongoing training and education are strategies to strengthen clinical reasoning and decision-making. Pairing less experienced ACs with seasoned colleagues could also improve care quality and support the development of professional competence.
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