Despina Laparidou, research assistant at CaHRU, presented her study, ‘Perceptions and experiences of residents and relatives of emergencies in care homes: systematic review and meta-synthesis‘ online at the 999 EMS Research Forum Conference 2021, ‘Research in prehospital care: Past, pandemic, present & future’ on Tuesday 23 March 2021. The study team, led by Professor Niro Siriwardena, included Dr Ffion Curtis of the Lincoln International Institute of Rural Health, Marishona Ortega, university librarian, and from CaHRU and the University of Colombo, Drs Iresha Jayawickrama, Dr Dedunu Weligamage and Sarathchandra Kumarawansha.
The study aimed to explore perceptions and experiences of care home residents and their family members who 
experienced medical emergencies in a care home setting. The team searched five electronic databases, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane Library and PsycINFO, supplemented with internet searches and citation tracking. Ten studies from 4 countries (Australia, Canada, UK, and US), all of acceptable quality, were included in the review, Six analytical themes were developed using thematic analysis: the infrastructure and process requirements in care homes to prevent and address emergencies; the complexity of decisions to transfer to hospital; the challenges of transfer and hospitalisation for older patients; the need for good communication for desirable outcomes; legal, regulatory and ethical concerns; and the importance of trusting relationships enabled residents to feel safe.
The study concluded that the emergency care experience for care home residents can be enhanced by ensuring resources, staff capacity and processes for high quality care, and trusting relationships between staff and patients and between staff, underpinned by good communication and attention to ethical practice. To see the presentation click here.
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