Prehospital care and transport costs of severely injured children in NSW Australia.

BACKGROUND: Injury is the leading cause of childhood death and disability in Australia. Prehospital emergency services in New South Wales (NSW) are provided by NSW Ambulance. The incidence, pre-hospital care provided and outcomes of children suffering major injury in NSW has not previously been described. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted between July 2015 and September 2016 and included children <16 years with an injury severity score (ISS) >9, or requiring intensive care admission, or deceased following injury and treated in NSW. Children were identified through the three NSW Paediatric Trauma Centres, the NSW Trauma Registry, NSW Medical Retrieval Registry (AirMaestro, Avinet, Australia). RESULTS: There were 359 majorly injured children treated by NSW-based emergency service providers, the majority were male (73.3%) with a mean (SD) age of 8.0 (5.2) years. The median (IQR) injury severity score (ISS) for those transported via NSW emergency medical services was 10 (9-17), with almost half (44.1%) treated prehospital having an ISS >12. The most common documented interventions were intravenous access (44.1%) and oxygen therapy (39.6%). Intubation and chest decompression were recorded in 15.3% and 3.1% of cases respectively. The calculated median (IQR) transport charges for NSW Emergency Services was AUD $942 ($841.3-$1184.6). CONCLUSION: Critical interventions are performed infrequently in children with major injuries in the pre-hospital environment. The monitoring of the incidence and success rates for staff performing these interventions is not readily available from all prehospital emergency medical services operating in NSW. The capacity and processes to monitor and audit all critical interventions in the paediatric population should be resourced and clearly defined.

Cause, treatment costs and 12-month functional outcomes of children with major injury in NSW, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Information about children treated in New South Wales (NSW), Australia following major injury has been limited to those treated at trauma centres using mortality as the main outcome measure, restricting assessment of the effectiveness of the Trauma System. This study sought to describe the detailed characteristics as well as functional and psychosocial health outcomes of all children suffering major injury in NSW. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted between July 2015 and November 2017 and included children < 16 years requiring intensive care or an injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 9 treated in NSW or who died following injury. Children were identified through the three NSW Paediatric Trauma Centres (PTC), the NSW Trauma Registry, NSW Aeromedical Retrieval Registry (AirMaestro) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes for children treated at the three PTCs were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months using the Paediatric Quality of Life inventory (PedsQL 4.0) and EuroQol five-dimensional EQ-5D-Y. RESULTS: There were 625 children, with a median (interquartile range) age of 7 (2-13) years and 71.7% were male. Around half were injured in major cities (51.2%). The median (IQR) injury severity score (ISS) was 10 (9-17). Twelve-month HRQoL measured by PedsQL remained below baseline for psychosocial health. Treatment costs increased with injury severity (p=<0.001) and polytrauma (p=<0.001). No survival benefit was demonstrated between PTC versus non-PTC definitive care. Injured females and children from rural / remote NSW were overrepresented in the deceased. CONCLUSION: Children treated in NSW following major injury have reduced quality of life and in particular, reduced emotional well-being at 12 months post-injury. Improved psychosocial care and outpatient follow-up is required to minimise the long-term emotional impact of injury on the child.

Determining the priorities for change in paediatric trauma care delivery in NSW, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Injury remains the leading cause of death and disability for Australian children. There is known variability in the quality of care delivered to injured children in Australia. This study prioritises recommendations developed from an expert review of paediatric trauma cases, for implementation with the aim of improving health service delivery to children sustaining severe injury. METHODS: A modified-Delphi study was conducted between October 2018 and February 2019. Two rounds of an online survey to rank the suitability and importance of each of the 26 recommendations was conducted. Final decisions on the priorities for change in the paediatric trauma system was determined by a consensus of ≥80% for importance and/or suitability. RESULTS: One hundred and one participants completed Round 1, and 60 participants completed Round 2 of the modified-Delphi. In Round 1, 13 recommendations reached ≥80% and in round 2, 11 recommendations reached ≥80%. Those ranked highest focussed on pre-hospital airway management, streamlining retrieval and transfer processes, improving hospital nursing ratios and radiology reporting. CONCLUSION: This modified-Delphi study identified the priority areas for recommended change to the NSW paediatric trauma system. Work to address these areas has the potential to provide more coordinated and timely care to children sustaining severe injury.

Identifying areas for improvement in paediatric trauma care in NSW Australia using a clinical, system and human factors peer-review tool.

BACKGROUND: There is known variability in the quality of care delivered to injured children. Identifying where care improvement can be made is critical. This study aimed to review paediatric trauma cases across the most populous Australian State to identify factors contributing to clinical incidents. METHODS: Medical records from three New South Wales Paediatric Trauma Centres were reviewed for children <16 years requiring intensive care; with an injury severity score of ≥9, or who died following injury between July 2015 and September 2016. Records were peer-reviewed by nurse surveyors who identified cases that might not meet the expected standard of care or where the child died following the injury. A multidisciplinary panel conducted the peer-review using a major trauma peer-review tool. Records were reviewed independently, then discussed to establish consensus. RESULTS: A total 535 records were reviewed and 41 cases were peer-reviewed. The median (IQR) age was 7 (2-12) years, the median ISS was 25 (IQR 16-30). The peer-review identified a combination of clinical (85%), systems (51%) and communication (12%) problems that contributed to difficulties in care delivery. In 85% of records, staff actions were identified to contribute to events; with medical task failure the most frequently identified cause (89%). CONCLUSION: The peer-review of paediatric trauma cases assisted in the identification of contributing factors to clinical incidents in trauma care resulting in 26 recommendations for change. The prioritisation and implementation of these recommendations, alongside a uniform State-wide trauma case review process with consistent criteria (definitions), performance indicators, monitoring and reporting would facilitate improvement in health service delivery to children sustaining severe injury.

Validation of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale-8 to Detect Large Vessel Occlusion in Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute ischemic stroke and large vessel occlusion (LVO) may benefit from prehospital identification and transfer to a center offering endovascular therapy. AIMS: We aimed to assess the accuracy of an existing 8-item stroke scale (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale-8 [NIHSS-8]) for identification of patients with acute stroke with LVO. METHODS: We retrospectively calculated NIHSS-8 scores in a population of consecutive patients with presumed acute stroke assessed by emergency medical services (EMS). LVO was identified on admission computed tomography angiography. Accuracy to identify LVO was calculated using receiver operating characteristics analysis. We used weighted Cohen's kappa statistics to assess inter-rater reliability for the NIHSS-8 score between the EMS and the hospital stroke team on a prospectively evaluated subgroup. RESULTS: Of the 551 included patients, 381 had a confirmed ischemic stroke and 136 patients had an LVO. NIHSS scores were significantly higher in patients with LVO (median 18; interquartile range 14-22). The NIHSS-8 score reliably predicted the presence of LVO (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve .82). The optimum NIHSS-8 cutoff of 8 or more had a sensitivity of .81, specificity of .75, and Youden index of .56 for prediction of LVO. The EMS and the stroke team reached substantial agreement (κ = .69). CONCLUSIONS: Accuracy of the NIHSS-8 to identify LVO in a population of patients with suspected acute stroke is comparable to existing prehospital stroke scales. The scale can be performed by EMS with reasonable reliability. Further validation in the field is needed to assess accuracy of the scale to identify patients with LVO eligible for endovascular treatment in a prehospital setting.

Do clinical safety charts improve paramedic key performance indicator results? (A clinical improvement programme evaluation).

INTRODUCTION: Is the Clinical Safety Chart clinical improvement programme (CIP) effective at improving paramedic key performance indicator (KPI) results within the Ambulance Service of New South Wales? METHODS: The CIP intervention area was compared with the non-intervention area in order to determine whether there was a statistically significant improvement in KPI results. RESULTS: The CIP was associated with a statistically significant improvement in paramedic KPI results within the intervention area. CONCLUSIONS: The strategies used within this CIP are recommended for further consideration.

The rural Prehospital Acute Stroke Triage (PAST) trial protocol: a controlled trial for rapid facilitated transport of rural acute stroke patients to a regional stroke centre.

RATIONALE: Access to intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke is limited worldwide, particularly in regional and rural areas including in Australia. We are testing the effectiveness of a new rural Prehospital Acute Stroke Triage protocol that includes prehospital assessment and rapid transport of patients from a rural catchment to the major stroke centre in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. The local district hospitals within the rural catchment do not have the capability or infrastructure to deliver acute stroke thrombolysis. The trial has relevance to stroke clinicians, health service managers and planners responsible for rural populations. AIMS: To implement a system of rapid prehospital assessment and facilitated transport that will significantly increase stroke thrombolysis rates to 10% of ischaemic stroke cases in the rural catchment. Validate an eight-point modified National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale for use by paramedics in the prehospital setting to assess patients' potential eligibility for stroke thrombolysis. DESIGN: The joint project between the John Hunter Hospital Acute Stroke Team and the Ambulance Service of NSW will use a prospective cohort with an historical control group. Tools and protocols have been developed and education undertaken for ambulance field and operations centre personnel. These include a cut-down eight-item National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (Hunter NIHSS-8) score to be used in the field by paramedics and a transport decision matrix to expedite transport for a suspected stroke patient (road or road plus air transport). OUTCOMES: The primary outcome measure will be the rate of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator delivery for those who suffer an ischaemic stroke following protocol implementation, in comparison with historical rates over a corresponding period prior to implementation, for residents within the catchment. Sixty cases are required in the postimplementation time epoch to demonstrate a statistically significant absolute increase in thrombolysis rates for ischaemic strokes from <1% to 10%, (power of 80%, α error of 0.05). The major secondary outcome will be inter-rater reliability of the Hunter NIHSS-8.

Improving access to acute stroke therapies: a controlled trial of organised pre-hospital and emergency care.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of the PAST (Pre-hospital Acute Stroke Triage) protocol in reducing pre-hospital and emergency department (ED) delays to patients receiving organised acute stroke care, thereby increasing access to thrombolytic therapy. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study using historical controls. SETTING: Hunter Region of New South Wales, September 2005 to March 2006 (pre-intervention) and September 2006 to March 2007 (post-intervention). PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients presenting with acute stroke to a regional, tertiary referral hospital. INTERVENTION: PAST protocol, comprising a pre-hospital stroke assessment tool for ambulance officers, an ambulance protocol for hospital bypass for potentially thrombolysis-eligible patients, and pre-hospital notification of the acute stroke team. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of patients who received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), process of care time points (symptom onset to ED arrival, ED arrival to tPA treatment, and ED transit time), and clinical outcomes of patients treated with tPA. RESULTS: The proportion of ischaemic stroke patients treated with tPA increased from 4.7% (pre-intervention) to 21.4% (post-intervention) (P < 0.001). Time point outcomes also improved, with a reduction in median times from symptom onset to ED arrival from 150 to 90.5 min (P = 0.004) and from ED arrival to stroke unit admission from 361 to 232.5 minutes (P < 0.001). Of those treated with tPA, 43% had minimal or no disability at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Organised pre-hospital and ED acute stroke care increases patient access to tPA treatment, which is proven to reduce stroke-related disability.