EMS Gathering 2014

The EMS Gathering took place on Wednesday 14th and Friday 15th May in Killarney, Co. Kerry and was a resounding success with over 350 delegates in attendance. The theme for the conference this year was Trauma, Education and Leadership which was the focus of the morning sessions featuring international speakers such as Professor Simon Carley (Central Manchester University Hospitals), Professor Steve Barnes (University of Missouri) and  Dr. Gareth Davies (London’s Air Ambulance). Other highlights included Mr. Darren Figgis (AP) speaking about “Pelvic Splintage”, Commandant Phil Bonner providing lessons from aviation on “Crew Resource Management”, Mr. David Hennelly (AP) presenting on “Major Haemorrhage Protocols” and CPR’s own Dr. Damien Ryan discussing “Game-changers in Trauma”. 

Delegates enjoyed lunch in the lively trade exhibition where the CPR stand was facilitated by Bernie who was busy fielding research queries. The afternoon sessions included a variety of workshops (Airway Management, ECGs, Social Media etc.) and an innovative “Learning with Leisure” programme which combined education with the great outdoors! Examples included learning about retrieval in austere environments during a mountain trail walk or finding out more about haemorrhage control on a 50km cycle. Other options included the “Sepsis Bus” or the “Top Teaching Tips” Boat Tour.

The research presentations at the EMS Gathering were facilitated by the Centre for Prehospital Research. The session was chaired by Dr. Niamh Cummins and was very well attended with standing room only at the back of the room! For many of our contributors this was their first experience of speaking at a conference so congrats to all involved! Research presentations included the following;

• The generally unwell: are they sick or septic? A survey of Irish EMS practitioner’s awareness of sepsis (Denis Daly)
• A comparative study of the effectiveness of supraglottic airways inserted during uninterrupted chest compressions by Irish healthcare professionals and medical students (Edward Parkes)
• Emergency Department staff’s communication skills assessment. Are communication skills in Polish Emergency Departments sufficient? (Monika Bednarek)
• The Sick Child: A study assessing the level of Paediatric Continuing Professional Development undertaken by Paramedics and their confidence and perceived competence to identify an unwell child (Neil Coleman)
• Is there a difference between Urban Paramedic practice in Cork city and Rural Paramedic practice in West Cork? (Olive Murphy)
• The Burden of Alcohol-Related Emergencies on the Ambulance Service in the Mid-West of Ireland: A Sobering Insight from the Advanced Paramedic Clinical Activity Study (Zeshan Siddiqui)