PP36 Scoping exercise: paramedic debriefing post out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

<h3>Background</h3> Debriefing post out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is emerging as a strategy to improve patient outcomes and is recommended by JRCALC and Resus Council UK. There is limited research on debriefing post OHCA and no ‘gold standard’ for paramedics to use. A scoping exercise was conducted to gain insight into current practice and to inform the development of a PhD proposal exploring debriefing post OHCA in the prehospital setting. <h3>Methods</h3> 24 paramedics employed by a UK ambulance service were approached by the author and asked to complete a questionnaire. Inclusion criteria: NHS employed paramedics, who had attended at least 1 OHCA over the past 6 months. <h3>Results</h3> Preliminary results showed that mean experience of participants was 4.5 years and median exposure of OHCA over 6 months was 5 (interquartile range 2-7). 55.48% of OHCA were followed by a debrief. When a debrief was not conducted, 58.33% of paramedics felt they did not need one. Debriefs were led by Team Leader (n=16), HEMS personnel (n=10), self-directed (n=8), Paramedic (n=4) and Clinical Team Educator (n=2). Debriefs took place at hospital (n=19), at scene (n=9) and ambulance station (n=4). Further analysis will look at differences between newly-qualified paramedics and experienced paramedics. <h3>Conclusion</h3> More needs to be done to improve the debriefing rate for OHCA. A debrief post OHCA was twice as likely to take place at hospital compared to on scene, despite a low conveyance rate for OHCA. A Team Leader was most likely to lead a post OHCA debrief, but staff in this role are not provided formal training. Further research is needed to explore paramedics’ interpretations of debriefs, what paramedics want from debriefs, and the willingness of paramedics to participate in the debriefing process.