Research uncovers paramedics' lifesaving decisions

Gaye Morrison

1 December 2006: The expert life and death decisions made by paramedics in the chaos of a major incident are the subject of a new report into triaging at multiple casualty car accidents.

The joint University of Canberra Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice and The Canberra Hospital report into the way ambulance paramedics triage multiple casualties at car accidents is an Australian first. It was funded by the NRMA - ACT Road Safety Trust at a cost of $43,000.

The report was launched at a function on campus last month Photo: Gaye Morrison

The project team was led by Paul Arbon, former head of the Centre, and now the chair of nursing at Flinders University and an adjunct professor at the University of Canberra.  

At a function held on 21 November to launch the report, Professor Arbon said the report found paramedics in multi-trauma situations use a combination of expert judgment and standard triage practices to prioritise patient care.

Professor Arbon also made it clear paramedics need to make sophisticated decisions and that those decisions are made early. In fact triaging usually begins when the call advising of the accident is taken, he said.

"The scene of a multiple casualty vehicle accident is chaotic and dangerous.   This research demonstrates how ambulance paramedics use cues drawn from the context and situation, en-route and at the scene of an accident, to assist them in interpreting the scene and making triage decisions", Professor Arbon said.

Don Aitkin, chair of the NRMA Road Safety Trust was pleased to hand over the report to Howard Wren of ACT Ambulance Clinical Services, and praised the contents of the report.

"The study indicates that a gap exists between what is practiced and what is taught as theory and it recommends further research be undertaken. This study will be a valuable aid for educators in the ambulance services in their quest to provide paramedics with the best possible triage training," Professor Aitkin said.