Patient comfort in pre-hospital emergency care: A challenge to clinicians

Aim: The aim of this paper is to report on a study that compared ambulance clinicians’ views of two different types of patient coverings, focusing on core caring concepts such as comfort, dignity, and safety.

Design: Ambulance clinicians’ views were gathered in respect of two types of patient coverings, and 128 ambulance patients were randomly distributed into a control or experimental group receiving respectively either the traditional cotton blanket or a multi-layered TelesPro rescue covering. Views were gathered using a short questionnaire developed by the authors.

Findings: Ambulance clinicians, in their own view, maintained the core caring concepts no matter which type of covering was used. Findings suggest strongly that the rescue covering provided for a superior patient experience in respect of all core concepts and one functional aspect.

Conclusions: Ambulance clinicians undertake caring that encompasses the core caring concepts of comfort, safety, and dignity, while remaining vigilant to threats to these constituents of caring.