Wilson, Caitlin

Wilson, Caitlin

Biography

I am a frontline paramedic with North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and a PhD student at the University of Leeds funded by the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre. I have previously been involved in the PASTA Trial as a research paramedic and completed the NIHR Advanced Leadership Programme in 2015/16. During my MSc, I conducted a primary research project on Hyperventilation Syndrome and subsequently led on the JRCALC 2019 Update of the Hyperventilation Syndrome guidelines. My current PhD is a mixed methods multiple sub-study project with the overall aim to explore how enhancing prehospital feedback improves patient safety and staff wellbeing.

Institutional profile

The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust is proud to be a research-active organisation, which develops and hosts research studies with a focus on pre-hospital healthcare, injuries and emergencies and other clinical specialities. The Trust also explores non-clinical research opportunities involving the organisation and the workforce.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 26

Ambulance service recognition of health inequalities and activities to reduce health inequalities: an evidence and gap map
Bell, Fiona; Crabtree, Ruth; Wilson, Caitlin; Miller, Elisha; Byrne, Rachel
Demystifying prehospital research in practice
(2023-05-02) Wilson, Caitlin
It is not every day you are asked to review a book written by esteemed colleagues and friends—but here I am. In this month's book review, I am reviewing Prehospital Research Methods and Practice, edited by Professor Niro Siriwardena and Dr Greg Whitley. The two editors are of course well-known experts in prehospital research, with the list of authors including paramedic researchers and experienced academics mainly from across the UK, but also including colleagues from Australia and the United States. Abstract published with permission.
Types and effects of feedback for emergency ambulance staff: a systematic mixed studies review and meta-analysis
(BMJ) Wilson, Caitlin; Janes, Gillian; Lawton, Rebecca; Benn, Jonathan
BACKGROUND: Extensive research has been conducted into the effects of feedback interventions within many areas of healthcare, but prehospital emergency care has been relatively neglected. Exploratory work suggests that enhancing feedback and follow-up to emergency medical service (EMS) staff might provide staff with closure and improve clinical performance. Our aim was to summarise the literature on the types of feedback received by EMS professionals and its effects on the quality and safety of patient care, staff well-being and professional development. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis, including primary research studies of any method published in peer-reviewed journals. Studies were included if they contained information on systematic feedback to emergency ambulance staff regarding their performance. Databases searched from inception were MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, PsycINFO, HMIC, CINAHL and Web of Science, with searches last updated on 2 August 2022. Study quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data analysis followed a convergent integrated design involving simultaneous narrative synthesis and random effects multilevel meta-analyses. RESULTS: The search strategy yielded 3183 articles, with 48 studies meeting inclusion criteria after title/abstract screening and full-text review. Interventions were categorised as audit and feedback (n=31), peer-to-peer feedback (n=3), postevent debriefing (n=2), incident-prompted feedback (n=1), patient outcome feedback (n=1) or a combination thereof (n=4). Feedback was found to have a moderate positive effect on quality of care and professional development with a pooled effect of d=0.50 (95% CI 0.34, 0.67). Feedback to EMS professionals had large effects in improving documentation (d=0.73 (0.00, 1.45)) and protocol adherence (d=0.68 (0.12, 1.24)), as well as small effects in enhancing cardiac arrest performance (d=0.46 (0.06, 0.86)), clinical decision-making (d=0.47 (0.23, 0.72)), ambulance times (d=0.43 (0.12, 0.74)) and survival rates (d=0.22 (0.11, 0.33)). The between-study heterogeneity variance was estimated at σ(2)=0.32 (95% CI 0.22, 0.50), with an I(2) value of 99% (95% CI 98%, 99%), indicating substantial statistical heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: This review demonstrated that the evidence base currently does not support a clear single point estimate of the pooled effect of feedback to EMS staff as a single intervention type due to study heterogeneity. Further research is needed to provide guidance and frameworks supporting better design and evaluation of feedback interventions within EMS. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020162600. https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2023/05/15/bmjqs-2022-015634.info This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2015-000281
Systematic review and meta-analysis of pre-hospital diagnostic accuracy studies
(2018-12) Wilson, Caitlin; Harley, Clare; Steels, Stephanie
https://emj.bmj.com/content/35/12/757.long. Introduction Paramedics are involved in examining, treating and diagnosing patients. The accuracy of these diagnoses is evaluated using diagnostic accuracy studies. We undertook a systematic review of published literature to provide an overview of how accurately paramedics diagnose patients compared with hospital doctors. A bivariate meta-analysis was incorporated to examine the range of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Methods We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, AMED and the Cochrane Database from 1946 to 7 May 2016 for studies where patients had been given a diagnosis by paramedics and hospital doctors. Keywords focused on study type (’diagnostic accuracy’), outcomes (sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio?, predictive value?) and setting (paramedic*, pre-hospital, ambulance, ’emergency service?’, ’emergency medical service?’, ’emergency technician?’). Results 2941 references were screened by title and/ or abstract. Eleven studies encompassing 384 985 patients were included after full-text review. The types of diagnoses in one of the studies encompassed all possible diagnoses and in the other studies focused on sepsis, stroke and myocardial infarction. Sensitivity estimates ranged from 32% to 100%and specificity estimates from 14% to 100%. Eight of the studies were deemed to have a low risk of bias and were incorporated into a metaanalysis which showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.74 (0.62 to 0.82) and a pooled specificity of 0.94 (0.87 to 0.97). Discussion Current published research suggests that diagnoses made by paramedics have high sensitivity and even higher specificity. However, the paucity and varying quality of studies indicates that further prehospital diagnostic accuracy studies are warranted especially in the field of non-life-threatening conditions. https://emj.bmj.com/content/emermed/35/12/757.full.pdf This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2018-207588
The role of feedback in emergency ambulance services: a qualitative interview study
(2022-03-03) Wilson, Caitlin; Howell, Anne-Marie; Janes, Gillian; Benn, Jonathan
Identity, positionality and reflexivity: relevance and application to research paramedics
(The College of Paramedics, 2022-09-01) Wilson, Caitlin; Janes, Gillian; Williams, Julia
This article introduces the reader to the concepts of identity, positionality and reflexivity and outlines their relevance to research paramedics. We outline how a researcher’s identity and positionality can influence all aspects of research, including the research question, study design, data collection and data analysis. We discuss that the ‘insider’ position of paramedics conducting research with other paramedics or within their specific clinical setting has considerable benefits to participant access, understanding of data and dissemination, while highlighting the difficulties of role duality and power dynamics. While positionality is concerned with the researcher clearly stating their assumptions relating to the research topic, the research design, context and process, as well as the research participants; reflexivity involves the researcher questioning their assumptions and finding strategies to address these. The researcher must reflect upon the way the research is carried out and explain to the reader how they moved through the research processes to reach certain conclusions, with the aim of producing a trustworthy and honest account of the research. Throughout this article, we provide examples of how these concepts have been considered and applied by a research paramedic while conducting their PhD research studies within a pre-hospital setting, to illustrate how they can be applied practically. Abstract published with permission.
End-of-life care within the paramedic context
(2020-11-09) Wilson, Caitlin
Edited by Tania Blackmore (2020), Palliative end of life care for paramedics provides a comprehensive overview of palliative and end-of-life care within the context of paramedic practice. This recently published book is in its first edition and is available in paperback (£29.99) or eBook (£24.99) format. It sits alongside similar publications from the College of Paramedics such as Law and ethics for paramedics and Independent prescribing for paramedics. Some of you may have noticed that these book topics reflect a selection of the paramedic e-Learning modules, which are freely available for College of Paramedic members through the e-Learning for Healthcare Hub website or via My ESR for NHS employees. The subjects covered in the ‘Paramedic – End of Life and Palliative Care’ e-Learning module loosely reflect those covered in this book; however, the book covers everything in much more detail, and includes many references to current supporting evidence, providing the reader with a greater background understanding of palliative care. The team of authors is a well-balanced mixture of academic and clinical health professionals, with three from a paramedic background and three end-of-life care specialists. The front cover of the book indicates that this book is supported by the College of Paramedics, which hints at its incredible relevance for paramedics and emergency ambulance technicians practising in the UK. Sometimes when being taught by specialists outside of the ambulance service, they impart an immense amount of specialist knowledge, yet prehospital clinicians have to decide for themselves how much is actually within their scope of practice and therefore applicable to their clinical role. Although, the editor includes a (very valid and important) disclaimer at the beginning of the book that ‘healthcare professionals should always follow local procedures and be aware of their own scope of practice’, this process of critical appraisal and judgement on applicability is made much easier by the book's close alignment with UK paramedic practice and the frequent references to the JRCALC Clinical Guidelines 2019 (Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), 2019). In fact, in that way, it is similar to the Emergency birth in the community book that I reviewed in a past issue of the Journal of Paramedic Practice (Wilson, 2019), which was supported by the AACE and JRCALC. The book takes the reader on a logical journey beginning with the broader historical, social and cultural debates about death and dying in chapter 1, followed by the various definitions of palliative care in chapter 2. Chapters 3 and 4 provide an overview of palliative care emergencies and how to recognise them, followed by guidance on symptom management. Subsequently, chapter 5 focuses on softer skills such as communication, while chapter 6 provides an overview of caring for the dying patient, delirium, medication management and discussions surrounding what may constitute a ‘good death’. Chapters 7 and 8 address the topics of ethics and professional resilience, before chapter 9 ties everything together under the title ‘the paramedic as an end of life care specialist’. A clear favourite within this book was chapter 4, which covers symptom management and seemed so applicable that it may join my ever-growing collection of ‘keep-in-helmet-bag’ books. I also really liked the many visuals, such as the image displaying the relative strength of opioids and others illustrating pain pathways and causes of vomiting and nausea. The authors have also included many educational tables, which in chapter 3 provided useful information on manifestations, relevant considerations and treatment for various palliative care emergencies such as neutropenic sepsis, superior vena cava syndrome and terminal haemorrhage. Although it will be impossible for me to remember all of these details, it will be easy to refer to these tables when thinking through differential diagnoses or reflecting on patient encounters. A great learning tool within this book are the case studies included at the end of most chapters. These cases add a practical element to the book and allow the reader to reflect upon what has been discussed in the chapter. However, many of the case studies and associated questions are complex in nature and although they are likely to have more than one right answer, there will definitely be wrong answers. I wonder if, in subsequent editions, the authors could include potential answers or discussions at the end of the book to ensure that readers are following along the right lines. I found the book to be a bit of a slow starter, as the authors use chapters 1 and 2 to introduce the reader to a wide variety of palliative care policies and frameworks in the UK. Although presented in a structured way, it is at times difficult to see how they fit together and which ones apply to paramedics. For those readers finding themselves similarly confused, I would suggest first turning to chapters 3 or 4 and then revisiting the earlier chapters to learn about the broader picture of palliative care. I think working through this book would make a useful exercise for continued professional development (CPD) as part of a paramedic portfolio or even the associate ambulance practitioner programme. In fact, the title, Palliative and end of life care for paramedics may be slightly misleading: this book is by no means solely suitable for qualified paramedics; emergency ambulance staff in other roles such as emergency medical technicians or clinical advisors within the emergency operations centre would definitely benefit from reading this book, although would have to adapt some of the advice to their own scope of practice. Overall, this book is written in simple and easy-to-understand language, provides excellent tips for further reading and cites relevant and up-to-date references throughout—what's not to love? Well, very little to be honest. I have already recommended this book to several colleagues and feel my own care of patients approaching the end of their life has improved since reading this book. I certainly feel more confident and will likely turn back to this book to answer any prehospital palliative care questions I may face in the future. The best way to summarise this book is by expressing my full agreement with the statement on the back cover: ‘it is essential reading for [prehospital clinicians] hoping to better understand the complexities of caring for patients approaching the end of life’. Abstract published with permission.
Predictors, effects and missed opportunities of feedback to emergency ambulance staff: a mixed-methods diary study
(2023) Wilson, Caitlin; Budworth, Luke; Janes, Gillian; Lawton, Rebecca; Benn, Jonathan
Feedback for emergency ambulance staff: a national review of current practice Informed by realist evaluation methodology
(2023-08-08) Wilson, Caitlin; Janes, Gillian; Lawton, Rebecca; Benn, Jonathan
CPD on the move for student and newly qualified paramedics
(2018-10) Wilson, Caitlin

Wilson, Caitlin

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