The latest in a series of articles from Greg Whitley’s doctoral studies was published in August 2020 in the Journal of Child Health, ‘The predictors, barriers and facilitators to effective management of acute pain in children by emergency medical services: a systematic mixed studies review.’ Greg was awarded a prestigious doctoral studentship from the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration and Health Education East Midlands to undertake his studies full time at CaHRU.
In this new study, from over four thousand studies eight quantitative and five qualitative studies were included. Effective pain management was associated with younger, male children with pain due to trauma and administered analgesics. Barriers and facilitators to effective pain management in paramedics included internal factors (fear, clinical experience, education and training), external influences (relatives and colleagues) influences and features such as the child’s experience of event, pain assessment and management.
During his tenure as a PhD student Greg set up Paramedic PhD which is an international registry of doctorates in the field of paramedicine which already has 168 doctoral studies from 21 countries registered as completed or in progress. Greg is also co-editing a text on research methods Prehospital Research Methods and Practice with Niro Siriwardena. Greg continues to work as a paramedic at East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and recently took up a new post as a lecturer in paramedic science at the University of Lincoln where he will continue to develop his EMS research.
Prof Niro Siriwardena