Choo A1, English F1, Challen A1, Walsh R1, Ford D1
1WA Country Health Service
Biography:
Armed with a Master of Business Administration from University of New South Wales and University of Michigan, and Master of Infectious Diseases from University of Western Australia, Ace Choo specialises in evidence-based strategy, operational, and business management of the healthcare and medical research sector, including national and international clinical trials. She is currently the Program Manager of WA Country Health Service for the Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service and Non-Executive Director of OCD WA. Previously, she was the Business Manager for St John WA and Rio Tinto Children’s Diabetes Centre at the Kids Research Institute.
Abstract
Current literature comparing patient outcomes with interprofessional crew (physician-paramedic) intervention and uniprofessional crew (paramedic-paramedic) intervention within the Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service (ERHS) are limited to either retrospective studies or systematic reviews. Furthermore, most current literature only analysed mortality and survival outcomes focusing on trauma and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. There is a lack of clinical equipoise to ethically conduct a randomised controlled trial in this circumstance.
Following recommendations of the Chief Health Officer’s Inquiry into Aeromedical Services in Western Australia (WA), WA Country Health Service (WACHS) will be introducing interprofessional crewing model (physician-paramedic), firstly at one helicopter base followed by a second base, between nine (9) and twelve (12) months apart. This presents a rare opportunity to conduct a prospective observational study of two distinct cohorts in parallel.
The main aim of this study is to investigate whether interprofessional crewing model is associated with better patient outcome compared to uniprofessional crewing model in WA.
The study will include all cases requested through the ERHS, evaluating patient outcomes within one (1) month post-retrieval, comparing:
a) Phase 1 (9 – 12 months follow-up): Interprofessional team in first base (intervention) and uniprofessional team in second base (comparator)
b) Phase 2 (9 to 12 months follow-up): Interprofessional team in second base (intervention) and uniprofessional team in the same base at 9 to 12 months prior i.e., self-comparator
This will be a free-living study with clinicians and patients to continue their routine practice without interference from researchers to minimise Hawthorne effect.