Experiences of emergency care technicians with regards to inter-facility transfers of critical patients in Mangaung Metro, Free State
Loading...
Date
2023-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Fort Hare
Abstract
Background: Over the years, the increase in the number of inter-facility transfers of critically ill or injured patients has placed a burden on the healthcare system. Critically ill or injured patients are transferred to higher level facilities/hospitals so that they can receive specialist care. The inter-facility transfers require a multi-disciplinary healthcare system which includes the referring physician/nurses, emergency medical services and the receiving physician/nurses. The nature of these critical transfers has placed great emphasis on the high quality treatment and management required from emergency services. This has pushed emergency services to introducing new qualifications with better capabilities of treating and managing critically ill or injured patients. In Mangaung Metro, Free State, EMS personnel with the required capabilities have not been employed within operations post 2011. This has left personnel (ECT) with lower qualifications and capabilities employed within operations to be the ones undertaking inter-facility transfers of critically patients.
The purpose of the study was to explore the current operational ECT’s experiences on inter-facility transfers of critically ill or injured patients. Objectives were to explore the ECT’s experiences on inter-facility transfers of critical patients in Mangaung; to describe the challenges encountered by ECTs concerning inter-facility transfers of the critical patients in Mangaung and to describe the strategies that can be implemented to improve the experiences of ECTs during inter-facility transfer of critically ill patients.
Methods: A qualitative approach with a exploratory design was used throughout the research to explore the ECT’s experiences with regards to inter-facility transfers of critically ill or injured patients. Interviews were held with 9 consenting ECT’s under strict COVID-19 protocols. The ECT’s/participants were coded. An interview guide was used to explore the ECT’s experiences, challenges and strategies to enhance outcomes. A tape recorder was used to record the interviews. The interviews were then transcribed verbatim and sent to a co-coder for verification and analysis.
Results: Four themes emerged: 1) Experiences of ECT’s conducting inter-facility transfers of critical patients, 2) lack of knowledge regarding inter-facility transfers of critical patients, 3) challenges experienced by ECT’s regarding inter-facility tranfers of xii critical patients and 4) strategies required to enhance safe inter-facility transfer of critical patients. Majority of the participants expressed negative experiences with regards to interfacilility transfers. These negative experiences were due to a lack of proper equipment to undertake critical tranfers, poor management, lack of capabilies or limited scope of practice, poor pre-hospital and in-hospital relationships and communication, amongst other things. The study revealed that critical patients required highly qualified EMS personnel with a broader scope of practice and capabilities to undertake inter-facility transfers of critical patients.
Conclusion: ECT’s revealed how overwhelmed they felt undertaking inter-facility transfers of critical patients and expressed the need for more highly qualified personnel to be employed operationally. More focus should also be put on training/refreshing the ECT’s to current protocols. Communication between the multidisciplinary system needs to be improved. The Department of Health needs to procure more and better equipment for ECT’s to be able to perform their duties as well as invest in proper managerial strategies.
Description
Mini dissertation
Keywords
Emergency medical technician and patient
Citation
Mohoto, N.T., 2023. Experiences of Emergency Care Technicians with regards to inter-facility transfers of critical patients in Mangaung Metro, Free State. Mini-dissertation, Department of Public Health. Alice: University of Fort Hare.