Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Australasian Emergency Care
Volume
26
Issue
2
First Page
119
Last Page
125
PubMed ID
36100541
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences / Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
RAS ID
45483
Funders
Department of Health, Government of Western Australia / Edith Cowan University
Abstract
Background: Out-of-hospital births (OOHBs) are rare representing ∼0.05% of prehospital callouts. OOHBs are at increased risk of complications including life-threatening conditions such as postpartum haemorrhage and neonate resuscitation. This research investigated Australian paramedics perceptions of’ training, experience, and confidence with OOHBs. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken in late 2021 via online conference or face-to-face. Sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data was analysed and coded into over-arching themes using thematic analysis. Results: Fourteen participants were interviewed from military, industrial, and jurisdictional ambulance services. Nine participants were female, and experience ranged from 1.5 to 20 years. Six Australian states were represented, incorporating rural and metropolitan regions. Participants reported sporadic or infrequent training. No participant had exposure to OOHBs during their undergraduate degree, with the most experienced paramedic only attending six births. Participants with little/no experience reported low confidence, and even more experienced participants reported anxiety when attending OOHBs, particularly if there were long distances to definitive care or potential complications. Conclusion: Many paramedics expressed low confidence and high anxiety regarding OOHBs, especially regarding complications. Many felt insufficient time was dedicated to OOHBs during education and training. This has the capacity to impact on patient care and outcomes.
DOI
10.1016/j.auec.2022.08.008
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
This is an Authors Accepted Manuscript version of an article published by Elsevier in Australasian Emergency Care. The published version is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2022.08.008
Hill, M. G., Flanagan, B., Mills, B., Hansen, S., & Hopper, L. (2023). Paramedic training, experience, and confidence with out-of-hospital childbirth (OOHB) in Australia. Australasian Emergency Care, 26(2), 119-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2022.08.008