Prolonged field care (austere emergency care) principles in UK paramedic practice

Abstract

Ambulance clinicians are increasingly met with significant delays in offloading patients once they reach hospital. Such delays lead to patients being cared for in backs of the ambulances for far longer than usual; this also pushes paramedics to the edge of their comfort zone in terms of providing prolonged patient care. For prehospital clinicians, this shift to providing prolonged casualty care can be daunting, and it can be easy to overlook essential parts of care when being asked to manage patients for hours rather than minutes. Through an understanding of the 12 core capabilities of prolonged care, and by using the HITMAN and SHEEP VOMIT mnemonics, prehospital clinicians can provide safe and effective prolonged casualty care in situations where onward transfer of care is delayed.