Summary
Nurse administration of drugs in an advance life support ambulance on orders from a physician in an emergency response coordination center
Affiliation of the authors
DOI
Quote
Amador-Morales J, Chazarra Canales MA, Montealegre Menor FJ, Juan Suárez L, Montesinos Miguel R, Ferriz Soriano JV. Nurse administration of drugs in an advance life support ambulance on orders from a physician in an emergency response coordination center. Rev Esp Urg Emerg. 2024;3:05–09
Summary
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. Advanced life support (ALS) ambulances are equipped to allow trained nurses to provide lifesaving protocols. Among the critical components of ALS ambulance care is advanced administration of medication prescribed by a doctor at an emergency response coordination center (ERCC) based on nurse evaluation of the patient. This study aimed to analyze the safety and efficacy of administering drugs under these conditions and to determine the level of compliance with recommendations for controlling pain.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. Prospective observational descriptive study in patients attended by ALS ambulances during 1 year. A total of 241 cases were analyzed.
RESULTS. No records of adverse events related to medication administered were found. Patients improved in 72.8% of the cases included, and pain decreased by 2.13 points on a verbal numerical scale in those provided with analgesia. Care provided from the ALS ambulances resolved 92.5% of the health emergencies analyzed without need for attendance by a physician-led ambulance team.
CONCLUSION. Our observations show that ALS ambulance care is effective, improving symptoms in most patients without leading to adverse events after nurse administration of drugs. These ambulances can allow ERCCs to optimize deployment of intensive care ambulances.