Ms Jackie Buckthought, Mr Jacob Tant, Dr Natalie Kruit
1NSW Ambulance, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Jackie Buckthought is a Paramedic specialist with NSW Ambulance.
Abstract:
This study explores the impact of interdisciplinary extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) teams, specifically the PRECARE team, on paramedic education and clinical development in the management of cardiac arrest in the pre-hospital environment. The PRECARE team, consisting of senior critical care doctors and paramedics, provides advanced interventions, including transoesophageal echocardiography, invasive monitoring, and advanced ventilation strategies, to optimise resuscitation for patients in refractory cardiac arrest. In addition to patient care, the team mentors paramedics in real-time, offering both clinical support and education aimed at enhancing their understanding of cardiac arrest physiology and advanced life support (ALS) techniques.
This study aims to assess paramedics' views around educational and clinical priorities in cardiac arrest management as well as assess their perceptions of the PRECARE team’s educational impact, focusing on the effectiveness of real-time mentorship, interdisciplinary training, and the influence of hospital-based resuscitation practices in pre-hospital care. Additionally, this study aims to describe the impact of demonstrating hospital-based resuscitation in the pre hospital environment and how that enhances paramedics ongoing delivery of ALS. An online qualitative survey was distributed to paramedics with prior experience working with the PRECARE team, and data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Findings will provide insights into the educational priorities of paramedics, the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in cardiac arrest management, and the broader impact of ECPR in the pre-hospital setting.