Phone: 0808 2344896
tracey.barron@emergencydispatch.org

PDC recognises the need to continually develop and evolve the MPDS to reflect current medical practice and research. As a result support can be provided to any ambulance Trust wishing to carry out a study or research on the MPDS. This support can be analytical, practical, or financial. By being involved from the outset of a study, PDC and the IAED can ensure the maximum support is provided.

A Clinical Focus group composed of IAED and UK Ambulance Trust, Medical Directors, and clinical staff, and facilitated by PDC, gathers and evaluates the clinical input from the UK Users of the MPDS. The group, supported by a working group, can then make recommendations to the IAED to help with the on-going development of the MPDS. Because the group consists of UK MPDS users, it has established a work-stream dedicated to UK requirements.

Current studies in the UK:

1. "A comparison of early Aspirin administration equity between men and women using the Medical Prioritisation Dispatch System." This study will retrospectively analyse ProQA data to investigate whether aspirin is administered with equity in both men and women. Any contraindications to aspirin administration will be taken into account.



2. "Identification of stroke symptoms in alert patients who fall without injury." This study will analyse and evaluate if alert patients who have fallen (with no injuries or acute illness) demonstrate any signs and symptoms of a stroke, as detected by the "Stroke diagnostic Identification tool" in ProQA. The study may result in the incorporation of the stroke tool elsewhere in the protocol.



3. "Using the Medical Priority Dispatch System Breathing Detector Diagnostic Tool to Identify Severe Respiratory Distress in Patients." This study will analyse and establish if it is possible to assess the acuity of breathing problems in patients by using the Breathing Detector Diagnostic Tool (BDDT) on all patients who have been assessed in Chief Complaint 6 by ProQA software of the MPDS system. This may result in improved sensitivity in Chief Complaint 6.



4. "The accuracy of a diagnostic tool in identifying the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease." This study will analyse and assess if patients who have described symptoms of meningococcal disease, either spontaneously, or when asked, are ultimately diagnosed with the disease. The results of which will help develop new methods in meningococcal disease detection.

Details of on-going and completed studies can be found HERE.