How safe is prehospital care? A systematic review (8 October 2021)

Summary

Prehospital care is the care received by a patient from an emergency medical service before arriving at a hospital. This systematic review in the International Journal for Quality in Health and Care aimed to identify:

• how the prevalence and level of harm associated with patient safety incidents (PSIs) in prehospital care are assessed.
• the frequency of PSIs in prehospital care.
• the harm associated with PSIs in prehospital care.

Content

The data included in the review identified that 10% of patients experience a PSI in prehospital care. The review also provides more detailed insights into the prevalence of PSIs and associated harm in prehospital care, and the authors argue that this evidence justifies giving the same level of attention to patient safety in prehospital care as is given to secondary care. They also state that the review gives direction as to how to advance methods for identifying PSIs and harm in prehospital care.