Simulation training exercises to help shape the future design of ground ambulances with frontline staff from Alberta Health Services – Emergency Medical Services (AHS-EMS) were conducted in Drumheller last Thursday.
More than 100 EMS personnel from across Alberta are volunteering with the Ambulance Design Research Project through the University of Calgary’s Ward of the 21st Century (W21C).
As the first study of its kind to be conducted in Canada, this provincewide initiative explores how EMS staff can best deliver care within the patient compartment of ambulances. Study findings will influence and improve the safety, layout and functionality of future AHS ambulances.
“Our goal is to ensure we are providing our staff with a safe, comfortable workspace that will allow them to do their jobs as efficiently as possible to improve patient safety and outcomes,” says Mike Plato, Acting Executive Director of EMS business standards and operations support. “This is a unique opportunity to observe the interactions between EMS practitioners within the patient compartment of an ambulance, while providing simulated patient care.”
Research associate Greg Hallihan (centre) and Jamie Dawson set up a eye’s view camera on Matt Schulz. Emergency responders in Drumheller participated in a research study in Drumhead on Thursday, May 9.
To create a realistic emergency scenario similar to those encountered on the job, EMS staff taking part in this emergency exercise will treat a simulation mannequin as their ‘patient’ as they provide care inside a moving ambulance. Researchers will use video and vision-tracking devices to observe and learn how treatment can be affected by the confines of an ambulance.
“Our data collection will allow us to develop evidence-based design guidelines for future ambulances,” says Jeff Caird, PhD, Human Factors and Simulation Lead, W21C. “The study focuses on efficiency of care and the safety of health care providers and patients.”
Through surveys and interviews, AHS-EMS staff will also give written and verbal feedback to researchers about their experiences working in ambulances.
The simulation exercises were from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Canadian Tire parking lot. Similar training exercises will be held across the province in the coming months.
The study is a collaboration between AHS-EMS, W21C and multiple other stakeholder groups within AHS. Funding for this study has been provided by the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence (a Government of Canada automotive-sector research initiative), AHS and W21C.