Ability of the Australian general public to identify common emergency medical situations: Results of an online survey of a nationally representative sample

Authors/Creators

Brennen W. Mills, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Michella G. Hill, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Alecka K. Miles, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Erin C. Smith, Edith Cowan University
Eben Afrifa-Yamoah, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
David N. Reid, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Shane L. Rogers, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Moira G. B. Sim, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the Australian general public's ability to identify common medical emergencies as requiring an emergency response. Methods: An online survey asked participants to identify likely medical treatment pathways they would take for 17 hypothetical medical scenarios (eight emergency and nine non-emergency). The number and type of emergency scenarios participants correctly suggested warranted an emergency medical response was examined. Participants included Australian residents (aged > 18 years; n = 5264) who had never worked as an Australian registered medical doctor, nurse or paramedic. Results: Most emergencies were predominately correctly classified as requiring emergency responses (e.g. Severe chest pain, 95 % correct). However, non-emergency medical responses were often chosen for some emergency scenarios, such as a child suffering from a scalp haematoma (67 %), potential meningococcal disease (57 %), a box jellyfish sting (40 %), a paracetamol overdose (37 %), and mild chest pain (26 %). Participants identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander suggested a non-emergency response to emergency scenarios 29 % more often compared with non-indigenous participants. Conclusions: Educational interventions targeting specific medical symptoms may work to alleviate delayed emergency medical intervention. This research highlights a particular need for improving symptom identification and healthcare system confidence amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

RAS ID

44339

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

12-31-2022

Volume

25

Issue

4

Funding Information

West Australian Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (Grant ID G1005220)

PubMed ID

35525724

School

School of Arts and Humanities / School of Science / School of Medical and Health Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Publisher

Elsevier

Comments

This is an Authors Accepted Manuscript version of an article published by Elsevier in Australasian Emergency Care.

Mills, B. W., Hill, M. G., Miles, A. K., Smith, E. C., Afrifa-Yamoah, E., Reid, D. N., ... & Sim, M. G. (2022). Ability of the Australian general public to identify common emergency medical situations: Results of an online survey of a nationally representative sample. Australasian Emergency Care, 25(4), 327-333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2022.04.002

Recommended Citation

Mills, B. W., Hill, M. G., Miles, A. K., Smith, E. C., Afrifa-Yamoah, E., Reid, D. N., Rogers, S. L., & Sim, M. G. (2022). Ability of the Australian general public to identify common emergency medical situations: Results of an online survey of a nationally representative sample. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2022.04.002