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Table 2 Characteristics of included studies (n=35)

From: Adherence to guidelines and protocols in the prehospital and emergency care setting: a systematic review

First author

Design

Methods

Monocenter/multicenter

Professionals

Patients

Guideline (year of publication)

Quality

(Year)

Country

       

Prehospital

Caulfield

Retrospective, descriptive

Prehospital record review

Monocenter: 1 EMS

HEMS paramedics

100 patients with traumatic brain injury

Brain Trauma Foundation Guideline for prehospital management of patients with traumatic brain injury (2007)

9.5

(2009)

USA

Cooke

Retrospective, descriptive

Patient report forms

Multicenter: 19 EMSs

Paramedics

69 patients with suspected meningococcal septicemia

Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee Clinical Guidelines for the administration of benzyl penicillin for suspected diagnosis of meningococcal septicemia (2003)

7

(2005)

UK

Franschman 2009 The Netherlands

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 EMS

Ambulance nurses EMS physicians

127 patients with traumatic brain injury

Brain Trauma Foundation Guideline for prehospital management of patients with traumatic brain injury (2007)

9

 

Dutch Ambulance Care National Protocol (2007)

Hale

Retrospective, descriptive

Prehospital record review

Monocenter: 1 EMS

Not specified

1022 patients who received O2

Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee Clinical Guidelines for the administration of oxygen (2007)

8.5

(2008)

UK

Jeremie

Prospective, descriptive

Prehospital record review

Multicenter: 3 EMSs

Anesthesiologists Emergency physicians

143 patients who were sedated and intubated

SFAR Recommendations for sedation: analgesia in out-of-emergency medicine (2000)

10

(2005)

France

Kirves

Retrospective, cohort

Prehospital record review

Multicenter: >75 EMSs

Paramedics EMS physicians

157 patients with cardiac arrest

The Subdivision of Emergency Medicine of Finnish Society of Anaesthesiologists, Finnish Resuscitation Council and Red Cross of Finland. Resuscitation guidelines (2002)

9

(2007)

Finland

Scliopou

Retrospective, descriptive

Database review

Multicenter: 35 EMSs

Paramedics

70 patients with cardiac arrest

American Heart Association Advanced cardiac Life Support Guidelines (2000)

10

(2005)

USA

Thomas

Prospective, descriptive

Data collection chart

Monocenter: 1 EMS

HEMS nurses HEMS paramedics

37 patients with traumatic brain injury

Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines for the Management of Severe Head Injury (1995)

10

(2002)

USA

Wik (2005) Norway/Sweden/UK

Prospective, case series

Data cards

Multicenter: 3 EMSs

Nurse anesthesists Paramedics

176 patients with cardiac arrest

Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care: International Consensus on Science (2000)

10

 

International guidelines for CPR and ECCL: a consensus on science (2000)

Prehospital & Emergency Department

Charpentier

Prospective, cohort

Case report form

Multicenter: 1 UH, 8 EMSs, 26 MICUs, 37 EDs, 22 CICUs

Emergency physicians

1277 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (1999)

10

(2009)

France

Emergency Department

Atreja

Retrospective, descriptive

Chart review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Emergency physicians

94 patients with an elevated international normalized ratio (INR)

American College of Chest Physicians recommendations for antithrombotic therapy for prevention and treatment of thrombosis (2001)

10

(2005)

USA

Clark

Retrospective, cohort

Medical record review

Multicenter: 21 EDs

Not specified

678 patients with allergic reaction to food

American academy of allergy, asthma, & immunology guideline for the management of food allergy (2003)

10

(2004)

USA & Canada

Cydulka (2003) USA/Canada

Prospective, cohort

Medical record review Telephone interviews

Multicenter: 29 EDs

Not specified

397 patients with exacerbation COPD

American thoracic society standards for the diagnosis and care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma (1987)

10

 

British Thoracic Society guidelines for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary

De Miguel-Yanes

Retrospective, cohort

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Not specified

53 patients with suspected sepsis

Surviving sepsis campaign guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock (2004)

9.5

(2006)

Spain

Doherty

Retrospective, pre-test post-test

Database review

Multicenter: 2 EDs

Not specified

215 patients with asthma

NSW Department of Health guideline for the optimal treatment of chronic respiratory diseases (2003)

10

(2007)

Australia

Elkharrat

Prospective, pre-test post test

Data collection chart

Monocenter: 1 ED

Not specified

389 patients with open wounds

World Health Organisation guideline for antitetanus prophylaxis (1992)

10

(1999)

France

Ferguson

Retrospective, cohort

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Pediatric emergency physicians

167 children with fever

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guideline for the management of infants and children 0 to 36 months of age with fever without source (1993)

9.5

(2012)

USA

Grant

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Not specified

473 patients with acute pain

British Association of Accident and Emergency Medicine guideline for the management of pain in adults (2005)

10

(2006)

UK

Jain (2002) USA

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Pediatric residents

229 children with fever

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guideline for the management of infants and children 0 to 36 months of age with fever without source (1993)

9.5

 

Fellows

 

Nurse practitioners

Kelly

Prospective, descriptive

Data collection chart

Multicenter: 38 EDs

Not specified

1340 patients with acute asthma

National Asthma Campaign asthma management guideline (1998)

9.5

(2013)

Australia

Lee (2001) Taiwan

Retrospective, cohort

Medical record review

Multicenter: 6 EDs

Emergency physicians

120 patients with acute asthma

1. British Thotacic Society guidelines I & II for the management of asthma in adults (1990&1993)

9

 

2. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute guideline for the diagnosis and management of asthma (1991 & 1994 & 1997)

 

3. Asthma management guidelines and therapeutic Issues relating to the treatment of asthma. Chest (1999)

Mansbach (2007) USA

Prospective, cohort

Medical record review

Multicenter: 17 EDs

Not specified

624 children with bronchiolitis

American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases and Committee of Fetus and Newborn guidelines for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections: indications for the use of palivizumab and update on the use of RSV-IGIV (1998)

9

 

Interviews

Milks

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Not specified

181 patients with asthma

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute guideline for the diagnosis and management of asthma (1991)

8

(1999)

USA

Muayqil

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Emergency physicians

45 patients with convulsive status epilepticus

Epilepsy Foundation of America guidelines for the management convulsive status epilepticus (1993)

10

(2007)

Canada

Musacchio

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Not specified

163 patients with urinary tract infections, urinary symptoms or sexually transmitted disease

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: guideline for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (2006)

9

(2009)

USA

Pham (2007) USA

Cross sectional, descriptive

Database review

Multicenter: 544 EDs

Not specified

1492 patients with acute myocardial infarction

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Specification manual for national hospital quality measures for acute myocardial infarction and asthma (2007)

10

 

3955 patients with pneumonia

Reid (2000) Canada

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Multicenter: 3 EDs

Emergency physicians

130 patients with asthma

National guideline for the emergency management of asthma in adults (1996)

10

 

Emergency nurses

Roy (2006) France & Belgium

Prospective, cohort

Data collection chart

Multicenter: 117 EDs

Emergency physicians

1529 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism

American College of Emergency Physicians Clinical Policies Committee. Clinical policy: critical issues in the evaluation and management of adult patients presenting with suspected pulmonary embolism (2003)

9.5

 

British Thoracic Society guidelines for the management of suspected acute pulmonary embolism (2003)

 

European Society of Cardiology Guidelines on diagnosis and management of acute pulmonary embolism (2000)

Salmeron (2001) France

Prospective, cohort

Data collection chart

Multicenter: 37 EDs

Emergency physicians

4087 patients with acute asthma

1. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines for the diagnosis and the management of asthma (1997)

10

 

2. British guidelines on asthma management, 1995 review and position statement (1997)

Shaked

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 E

Not specified

56 children with febrile seizure

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Practice Parameter: the neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a first simple febrile seizure (1996)

10

(2009)

USA

Teismann

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Emergency residents Physician assistants

553 patients with suspected venous thromboembolism

American College of Emergency Physicians Clinical Policies Subcommittee on Suspected Pulmonary Embolism, evaluation and management of adult patients presenting with suspected pulmonary embolism (2003)

9

(2009)

USA

Thakore

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Not specified

100 patients with syncope

American college of physicians guideline for management of patients with syncope (1997)

9

(1999)

Scotland

Trzeciak

Retrospective, cohort

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Emergency physicians

22 patients with confirmed or suspected sepsis

Surviving sepsis campaign guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock (2004)

10

(2006)

USA

Tsai (2009) USA

Retrospective, cohort

Medical record review

Multicenter: 2 EDs

Emergency physicians

272 patients with COPD

Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2001)

10

 

Interview

American College of Physicians guidelines for Management of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2001)

 

American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society joint guidelines Standards for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COPD (2004)

Wright

Retrospective, descriptive

Medical record review

Monocenter: 1 ED

Emergency physicians

244 patients who received vancomycin

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Recommendations for preventing the spread of vancomycin resistance: Recommendations of the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (1995)

10

(1998)

USA

       
  1. Abbreviations: CICU Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, ED Emergency Department, EMS Emergency Medical Service, HEMS Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, MICU Mobile Intensive Care Unit, UH University Hospital.
  2. Quality: assessed on a scale from 0 (poor quality) to 10 (excellent quality).