NCT04312321

Audiovisual Consultations in Prehospital Emergency Care: Randomised Controlled Trial

Audiovisual Consultations by Paramedics With an Emergency Medical Service Physician in Low Urgency Events: Randomised Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 600 (actual)
• Sponsor: Zdravotnicka Zachranna Sluzba Karlovarskeho Kraje, P.O. · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study investigates safety and efficacy of the use of audiovisual consultations of emergency medical service (EMS) doctor by paramedics for low urgency events in areas covered with paramedic crews only from emergency medical service stations with distant access to hospital.

Detailed description

The study will be realized on Karlovy Vary EMS areas covered with paramedic crews only from emergency medical service stations with distant access to hospital. Each call on emergency line during 6 weeks study period will be assessed for eligibility. If deemed as low urgency, the event will be randomised into 3 groups. CONTROL group: routine operation of paramedic crew with optional consultation with a doctor over the phone. In the PHONE group and in the VIDEO group, there will be a mandatory consultation of a doctor over the phone or by audiovisual constultation, respectively. The primary outcome of the study is the percent of patients treated on site without the need of hospital transfer. The secondary safety outcome is to evaluate repeated ambulance trips within 48 hours after the patient had been treated at home. Moreover, a qualitative analysis of subjective perception of the event by the patients, paramedic and consulting doctor using the Likert scales will be performed by survey at the end or immediately after the event.

Conditions

• Telemedicine
• Emergency Medical Service

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Mandatory phone call consultation	Use of audio consultation (EMS crew smartphones, doctor smarphone) Smartphone (Xiaomi Redmi Note) and bluetooth handsfree headset (Jabra Talk)
DEVICE	Mandatory audiovisual consultation	Smartphone (Xiaomi Redmi Note) and bluetooth handsfree headset (Jabra Talk) with installed Android application (VSee messenger, USA, HIPAA compliant software) for paramedic crews; personal computer (Windows 10) with desktop version of application VSee messenger for Windows and eqipped with webcamera (Logitech C922 PRO) and headset (Jabra Evolve 20) for consulting doctor.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-10-17
• Primary completion: 2019-11-30
• Completion: 2020-03-15
• First posted: 2020-03-18
• Last updated: 2020-03-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Czechia