Table 2.
Survey responses regarding prehospital patient care records
| Number | Question | Response rate | Responses | Respondents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you encounter electronic EMS patient care reports in the course of your emergency medicine practice? | 228 (100%) | Yes | 186 (81.6%) |
| No | 42 (18.4%) | |||
| 2 | Do you encounter handwritten EMS patient care reports in the course of your emergency medicine practice? | 228 (100%) | Yes | 200 (87.7%) |
| No | 28 (12.3%) | |||
| 3 | Which type of EMS patient care report do you prefer? | 228 (100%) | Electronic | 119 (52.2%) |
| Handwritten | 39 (17.1%) | |||
| Only one type encountered | 35 (15.4%) | |||
| No Preference | 35 (15.4%) | |||
| 4 | What benefits do you derive from electronic EMS patient care reports? | 228 (100%) | Accuracy | 25 (11.0%) |
| Ease of finding information | 68 (29.8%) | |||
| I don’t see ePCRs | 37 (16.2%) | |||
| Legibility | 171 (75.0%) | |||
| No benefits | 17 (7.5%) | |||
| Risk management | 29 (12.7%) | |||
| Standard format | 86 (27.7%) | |||
| Timeliness of report delivery | 29 (12.7%) | |||
| Other | 7 (3.1%) | |||
| 5 | What benefits do you derive from handwritten EMS patient care reports? | 228 (100%) | Accuracy | 31 (13.6%) |
| Ease of finding information | 39 (17.1%) | |||
| I don’t see hPCRs | 15 (6.6%) | |||
| Legibility | 2 (0.9%) | |||
| No benefits | 43 (18.9%) | |||
| Risk management | 6 (2.6%) | |||
| Standard format | 25 (11.0%) | |||
| Timeliness of report delivery | 148 (64.9%) | |||
| Other | 24 (10.5%) | |||
| 6 | What limitations do you see or dislikes do you have in regard to electronic EMS patient care reports? | 228 (100%) | Accuracy | 35 (15.4%) |
| Ease of finding information | 60 (26.3%) | |||
| I don’t see ePCRs | 34 (14.9%) | |||
| Legibility | 2 (0.9%) | |||
| No benefits | 17 (7.5%) | |||
| Risk management | 17 (7.5%) | |||
| Standard format | 19 (8.3%) | |||
| Timeliness of report delivery | 130 (57.0%) | |||
| Other | 49 (21.5%) | |||
| 7 | What limitations do you see or dislikes do you have in regard to handwritten EMS patient care reports? | 228 (100%) | Accuracy | 35 (15.4%) |
| Ease of finding information | 56 (24.6%) | |||
| I don’t see hPCRs | 11 (4.8%) | |||
| Legibility | 204 (59.5%) | |||
| No benefits | 6 (2.6%) | |||
| Risk management | 29 (12.7%) | |||
| Standard format | 39 (17.1%) | |||
| Timeliness of report delivery | 21 (9.2%) | |||
| Other | 12 (5.3%) | |||
| 8 | How important is the information in the prehospital patient care report to your practice as an emergency physician in caring for patients transported by EMS? | 228 (100%) | Very important | 105 (45.6%) |
| Important | 98 (43.0%) | |||
| Neutral | 17 (7.5%) | |||
| Not important | 3 (1.3%) | |||
| Rarely important | 6 (2.6%) | |||
| 9 | How frequently is the electronic prehospital patient care record available when emergency department (ED) medical decision-making occurs in your practice? | 228 (100%) | 100% of the time | 6 (2.6%) |
| 75% of the time | 34 (14.9%) | |||
| 50% of the time | 51 (22.4%) | |||
| 25% of the time | 69 (30.3%) | |||
| 0% of the time | 36 (15.8%) | |||
| Not applicable | 32 (14.0% | |||
| 10 | How frequently is the handwritten prehospital patient care record available when ED medical decision-making occurs in your practice? | 228 (100%) | 100% of the time | 34 (14.9%) |
| 75% of the time | 83 (38.4%) | |||
| 50% of the time | 42 (18.4%) | |||
| 25% of the time | 36 (15.8%) | |||
| 0% of the time | 10 (4.4%) | |||
| Not applicable | 23 (10.1%) | |||
| 11 | Do you feel that electronic EMS reports increase your medico-legal risk? | 228 (100%) | Yes | 50 (21.9%) |
| No | 83 (40.8%) | |||
| Neutral | 85 (37.3%) | |||
| 12 | Do you feel that handwritten EMS reports increase your medico-legal risk? | 228 (100%) | Yes | 52 (22.8%) |
| No | 101 (44.3%) | |||
| Neutral | 75 (32.9%) |
EMS, emergency medical services; ePCR, electronic patient care report; hPCR, handwritten patient care report