This year’s annual EMS 999 Research Forum, ‘Research for impact in 999 Emergency Care’ was held in the University of Stirling’s picturesque campus from 26-27 March 2018 and was attended by members of CaHRU, Viet-Hai Phung, Laura Simmons, Greg Whitley and Professor Niro Siriwardena. The preconference sessions included two workshops: Professor Rowena Murray from the University of the West of Scotland led a session on how to write a peer reviewed paper; the other session involved CaHRU’s Professor Niro Siriwardena, with Professor Helen Snooks from the University of Swansea and Roy Norris from Service Users for Primary and Emergency Care Research (SUPER), leading a session on designing and planning research projects and getting them funded.
Shona Robison, the Cabinet Minister for Health and Sport in the Scottish Government introduced the start of the second day. This started with presentations on research that makes a difference and the links between prehospital research and Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA). There then followed a series of four oral presentations, which included a sensitive one from Kelly Hird and Fiona Bell from Yorkshire Ambulance Service about suicide among ambulance staff, and Belinda Flanagan, from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, who presented her work on unplanned births in paramedic care.
There was a CaHRU representation in the post-lunch poster session with Viet-Hai Phung presenting on the ‘Perceptions and experiences of community first responders on their role and relationships: qualitative interview study’, Rob Spaight from East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust presenting work led by Dr Murray Smith on ‘Modelling of patient outcomes after emergency treatment for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by paramedics and community first responders’ and Prof Niro Siriwardena presenting an interview study led by Dr Stephanie Armstrong of paramedics’ perceptions of the ethics of ambulance-based trials. Last year’s prize winner, Dr Edward Duncan, from Stirling University, subsequently recounted his experience of presenting at the Paramedic Australasia International Conference.
The final substantive session of the conference was a lively and thought-provoking panel discussion which included Janette Turner from the University of Sheffield and Professor Niro Siriwardena, on future priorities for prehospital research. The conference closed with a prize giving session for some excellent presentations and posters that were given throughout the conference.
By Viet-Hai Phung