Recapping Research from NAEMSP’s Annual Meeting

ImageTrend recently presented four research posters at NAEMSP's annual meeting, which provide valuable insights into various aspects of emergency medical services (EMS). Through this article, we aim to provide a brief overview of each research poster and its key findings. These research posters cover a wide range of topics such as prehospital stroke care, hypoglycemia patients, helmet use laws and prehospital obstetric emergencies before and after the Roe vs. Wade ruling overturn.

Prehospital Stroke Care:

The first research poster titled "National Assessment of Key Prehospital Stroke Care Practices and Their Association to Patient Characteristics" aims to describe nationwide care delivery for suspected stroke patients and measure associations between stroke care and patient characteristics. Through a retrospective analysis of the 2022 ImageTrend Collaborate™ dataset, researchers found that prehospital stroke care delivery in the United States varies widely even with model evidence-based guidelines (EBG) providing a standardized approach to patient care. The research identifies significant variations in documented care associated with gender, race and urbanicity. The research highlights that 90% of patients did not have guideline-compliant stroke care documented.

Hypoglycemia Patients:

The second research poster titled "Comparison of transported vs non-transported hypoglycemic patients in the prehospital setting" compares the characteristics of transported and non-transported hypoglycemic patients and identifies factors associated with the transport of hypoglycemia patients. The research team performed a retrospective analysis and found that nearly half of hypoglycemic patients were not transported, ultimately reducing the strain on emergency departments. Despite recommendations to use dextrose 10%, 35.6% of patients are still receiving dextrose 50%. The research highlights the need for further investigation to understand the relationships between glucagon, time of day and patient transport.

Motorcycle Helmet Use Laws:

The third research poster titled "State-Level Helmet Use Laws, Helmet Use, and Head Injuries in EMS Patients Involved in Motorcycle Collisions" explores the associations between state-level motorcycle helmet use laws, helmet use and head injuries in EMS patients involved in motorcycle collisions. Through a multivariate model including age, sex, race, urbanicity, helmet use and presence of state law, the research team found that unhelmeted motorcyclists were over 3 times more likely to have a moderate or severe head injury than those wearing a helmet in collisions attended by EMS. The increase in risk for moderate/severe head injury was particularly high for not wearing a helmet and nonmetro/rural areas.

Obstetric Emergencies:

The fourth research poster titled “Impact of Overturning Roe vs. Wade on Obstetric Emergencies from 2019 to 2023” analyzes two time spans. One prior to the RvW ruling (July 24, 2021-June 23, 2022) and the other after the ruling (June 24, 2022 – May 24, 2023). The research provides an overview of the patient and encounter characteristics, including age, race, urbanicity, primary provider impressions, symptoms and acuity levels, among others. Key findings show that African American women and women living in higher poverty counties were disproportionately affected by obstetric emergencies.

Making an Impact

Through these four research posters, ImageTrend has provided valuable insights into various aspects of EMS. The research highlights the need for standardized and guideline-compliant patient care in prehospital stroke care. It also underscores the importance of further investigation to understand the relationships between glucagon, time of day and transport in hypoglycemic patients. Additionally, this research highlights the significance of motorcycle helmet use laws and the impact legislative actions have access to obstetric care.

We hope that our readers find this brief overview informative and encourage them to read the research posters for greater depth and understanding.