Read my Mind study: REMMIN

Clinical reasoning and clinical decision-making processes have been extensively studied for almost five decades now. In general, it is assumed that clinical reasoning involves the activation of cognitive processes so as to process formal medical knowledge to postulate diagnostic hypotheses. This process is highly context-dependent.

Little is known about the clinical reasoning process in EMS personnel in the prehospital setting. In most countries prehospital Emergency Medical Service care is performed by non-physicians, paramedical personnel like EMTs and paramedics. In the Netherlands ambulances are manned by ambulance nurses: specialized RNs.

One may assume that the clinical reasoning task for these individuals can be even more challenging because they work primarily in couples or on their own, lack the same medical knowledge and skills as trained doctors, but are faced with the same problems as emergency physicians in a clinical situation.

Objective

A qualitative study of the clinical reasoning process by ambulance nurses in real-life cases. In this study, the main objective is to gain insight into the cognitive processes used by ambulance nurses in their challenging environment.

Line of research

This research falls under our Preclinical, Mobile & Emergency and Intensive Care line of research.