An observational study in Emergency Medical Services, sponsored by University of Lincoln. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-16.
Sponsored by University of Lincoln · Observational
Community First Responders (CFRs) are trained members of the public, lay people or off-duty healthcare staff who volunteer to provide first aid. CFRs help ambulance services to provide care for people having health emergencies, from falls to road accidents to heart attacks, at home or in public places. CFRs are particularly important in rural areas where it is more difficult to provide or access emergency care, and where they are an important part of the care workforce. CFRs are broadly perceived to be positive, however evidence is needed about how they contribute to rural health services, which patients/conditions they attend, what care they provide, how effective they are and at what cost, how they are perceived by patients and other health workers, and how they could be developed to improve care for rural communities.
The investigators aim to develop recommendations for rural CFRs, by exploring their contribution to rural care, evaluating their value for money, understanding experiences and views of patients, CFRs and other healthcare staff, and exploring the potential for CFRs to provide new services.
The project will involve the following steps:
University of Lincoln is the lead sponsor of 25 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
For the interview studies the investigators will purposively sample patients, relatives, and ambulance staff identified from records of patients who have been attended by a CFR in a rural location in the previous six months. Where possible the investigators will interview patients, relatives, CFRs and ambulance staff attending the same event. GPs will be purposively sampled from rural areas of the ambulance services involved. The investigators will recruit a maximum variation sample of patients (according to age, sex, condition, and ethnicity), ambulance staff (sex, experience, ethnicity and role), CFR (sex, ethnicity, length of experience, skill level) and CFR scheme leads (independent charity and ambulance trust overseen schemes).
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is not included as it is mainly urban; East of England Ambulance Service and North East Ambulance Service are not included because of lack of electronic data.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The total available sample for analysis for this cohort is estimated to be at least 50,000 incidents across 6 ambulance trusts. The investigators will describe the epidemiology of CFR provision to rural health areas using an anonymised dataset.
Other: attendance by community first responders for medical emergencies
The investigators will interview about 15-20 patients (and/or relatives) who have been attended by CFRs.
Other: attendance by community first responders for medical emergencies
The investigators will interview about 15-20 CFRs/ CFR scheme leaders.
The investigators will interview about 15-20 ambulance staff who have experience of working with CFRs.
The investigators will interview about 10-15 GPs and ambulance service commissioners.
The investigators will purposively sample patients, relatives, and ambulance staff identified from records of patients who have been attended by a CFR in a rural location in the previous six months. Where possible the investigators will interview patients, relatives, CFRs and ambulance staff attending the same event. GPs will be purposively sampled from rural areas of the ambulance services involved. Investigators will recruit a maximum variation sample of patients (according to age, sex, condition, and ethnicity), ambulance staff (sex, experience, ethnicity and role), CFR (sex, ethnicity, length of experience, skill level) and CFR scheme leads (independent charity and ambulance trust overseen schemes).
Number of ambulance calls that CFRs attend in one year
We will establish how many people CFRs attended and work out the proportion of ambulance calls attended.
Time frame: we will evaluate all emergency attendances during one year
The type of cases treated by CFRs
characteristics of people (age, sex, condition) attended
Time frame: we will evaluate all emergency attendances during one year
How quickly cases are dealt with
how quickly they attend
Time frame: we will evaluate all emergency attendances during one year
Treatments given and transfer to hospital
we will evaluate the treatments provided and the number of cases transferred to hospital
Time frame: we will evaluate all emergency attendances during one year
Locations
We will describe rurality and location (eg. at home or elsewhere) where CFRs give treatment.
Time frame: we will evaluate all emergency attendances during one year
Perceptions of CFR schemes
We will interview different stakeholders (patients, CFRs, GPs, ambulance staff, CFR leads)
Time frame: participants will have been involved in a CFR attendance in the previous 6 months
Plan to share: No
Ran from Jun 2020 to primary completion in May 2022, 23 months.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in May 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Lincoln