You will be assessed on
• The use of an evidence base to support the presentation,
• The use of Vancouver referencing style,
• Exploration of themes and constructing an argument situated in paramedic practice
• Academic writing conventions
Task:
Patient survival and quality of life post cardiac arrest have remained poor for many decades. Furthermore, the role of pharmacology in the management of cardiac arrest patients appears to be unclear. Hagihara et al (2012) elude to issues surrounding adrenaline use in reporting that the “prehospital use of adrenaline is significantly associated with increased chance of return of spontaneous circulation before hospital arrival but decreased chance of survival and good functional outcomes 1 month after the event”. This wicked problem may lead a reflective paramedic to question how out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) cases are managed.
Write a report that could be published in the Paramedics Australasia Response magazine to inform paramedics about the current evidence based principles of the paramedic management of cardiac arrest. In this report include:
A. The principles and rationale of the paramedic management of OOHCA,
B. The principles and rationale of the paramedic management of a patient with return of spontaneous circulation post OOHCA, and
C. A critique of one of the following new technologies being investigated:
a. ALMTM solution;
b. Active compression-decompression resuscitation or impedance threshold device ; or
c. Automated CPR devices.
Ref: Hagihara A. Hasegawa M. Abe T. Nagata T. Wakata Y. Miyazaki S. Prehospital epinephrine use and survival among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. JAMA. 2012;307(11):1161-1168
The following report format must be followed. For back ground reading on report writing also refer to USC Academic Skills writing guides
The Report Format
Levels of Evidence
The main area to focus on when selecting a subject and preparing the report is the quality and quantity of the evidence you utilise to inform your argument. The highest level of evidence must be sought and collated to answer the question posed in the context of paramedic practice.
Your argument and supporting references should demonstrate that you have performed a comprehensive review of the available literature in the subject area and that your recommendations are based on sound interpretation of your research.
Your search strategy must discover and use the highest levels of evidence to support your argument. Refer to the ‘How do I judge research evidence’ section below for information on the hierarchy of the levels of evidence and for clarification on how to evaluate clinical research data.
In addition primary data must be used, for example epidemiological data must be obtained from an appropriate source such as Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and not obtained from text books or journal articles.