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    Accuracy of call-taker assessment of patient level of consciousness: A systematic review

    79548.pdf (324.5Kb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Belcher, J.
    Finn, Judith
    Ball, Stephen
    Date
    2020
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Belcher, J. and Finn, J. and Ball, S. 2020. Accuracy of call-taker assessment of patient level of consciousness: A systematic review. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine. 17.
    Source Title
    Australasian Journal of Paramedicine
    DOI
    10.33151/ajp.17.741
    Additional URLs
    https://ajp.paramedics.org/index.php/ajp/article/view/741
    ISSN
    2202-7270
    Faculty
    Faculty of Health Sciences
    School
    School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
    Remarks

    Copyright © 2020 Paramedics Australasia

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79449
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    © 2020, Paramedics Australasia. All rights reserved. Introduction When triaging an emergency phone call for ambulance assistance, one of the key areas of questions asked in internationally used triage decision support systems is around the patient’s level of consciousness. A patient with a reduced level of consciousness can be indicative of a requirement for a high level of urgency of ambulance response. However, the value of this as a triage criterion is dependent on how accurately it can be determined by the call-taker. We sought to identify and summarise the results from published studies which determine the accuracy of call-taker assessment of conscious state during an emergency phone call. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus databases for studies relating to concepts of emergency medical services, conscious state, triage and/or accuracy. Studies were screened and included if they dealt with emergency calls in the community, reported call-taker determination and on-scene determination of conscious state, and included sufficient data for at least one measure of diagnostic accuracy to be calculated. Results Out of 5753 articles initially identified, only two were found that matched the inclusion criteria. Both reported accuracy of a binary determination of consciousness versus unconsciousness, and found that it is common for the reported consciousness to differ from actual findings at scene. There were no studies identified that measured accuracy of determination of altered conscious states among conscious patients. Conclusion There is a notable gap in the literature regarding accuracy of determination of the patient’s conscious state in an emergency call, which needs to be addressed.

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