PP24 Confidence of ambulance staff when attending older adults who have fallen: quantitative results from the AMBOFALL pilot survey

<h3>Background</h3> Around 10% of emergency ambulance calls in the UK are for older adults who have fallen. Service demand is only likely to increase in the future due to our ageing population. This single ambulance service pilot study aimed to determine frontline emergency staff confidence when attending this population. <h3>Methods</h3> One English ambulance service participated in an online cross-sectional survey, disseminated via internal newsletters and posters. Participant demographics comprising role, years’ experience, and base location were collected. 5-point Likert scales were used to rate participants confidence. <h3>Results</h3> 81 frontline emergency staff completed the survey in May 2023, approximately 2% response rate (81/4000). Responses were received from across the region; however, 20% (n=16) were received from 1 ambulance base. Over half the respondents (n=57) had 2-10 years’ experience providing emergency ambulance care. Confidence in patient assessment or decision-making in the management of older adults who have fallen did not vary significantly by experience, role, age or location. A non-statistically significant finding towards increased confidence in accessing Emergency Department avoidance pathways was seen with increasing length of experience. There were significant differences for how admission avoidance pathways were accessed between locations (p=&lt;.05), ranging from 56% of one base being confident, to 71% of another lacking confidence in using pathways. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This pilot survey demonstrated an eSurvey is feasible within the population of frontline emergency ambulance staff, with an acceptable response rate comparable to other studies in this population. Years of experience providing emergency ambulance care, or working in wider healthcare, does not seem to impact their confidence in assessing or managing older adults who have fallen. Work location can impact your confidence in hospital avoidance pathways, with known variation in available hours and acceptance criteria. This pilot study is now being followed by a full UK-wide study.