Groundbreaking study aims to make ambulances safer for patients
Winnipeg researchers look at effects of turning, braking and potholes on patients with spinal cord injuries
Bumpy roads not only wreak havoc on a car's suspension — they can have serious health consequences for people with back and neck injuries.
A team of Winnipeg researchers is currently looking at the safety of ambulance rides and the effects of road conditions and driving behaviour on volunteers posing as patients with spinal cord injuries.
-
Winnipeg man dinged $206 for 10 minutes of oxygen in ambulance
-
Manitoba government commits $6.2M for 52 new, safer ambulances
The results of the study could have implications far beyond Winnipeg.
"It looks like nobody's actually measured this before. It will actually give us an idea of what really happens," said Rob Pryce, assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Winnipeg.
So far his team has measured the impact of acceleration, braking, turns and potholes on 10 volunteer patients. The researchers use tiny sensors on the volunteer's body to detect even the slightest movement or bump.
"The main thing we're interested in is the amount of motion that happens at the head and the neck while people are transported in the back of an ambulance," said Pryce. "This is important because minimizing that motion is the current standard of care for anyone that has a serious injury to their neck or back."
The idea for the study came from co-investigator Neil McDonald, a paramedic.
"He was really curious about what happens once we secure someone to a backboard," said Pryce.
Ambulance technology hasn't changed much in the last 50 years; it's only in the last year or two that some jurisdictions have begun to strap patients in a little differently.
"People are generally plunked on those rigid boards with the blocks and the collar but just recently, a bunch of jurisdictions are starting to [transport] patients … with just a collar around their neck," he said.
The Winnipeg study will hopefully determine whether the new way of transporting patience with fewer straps is safer, said Pryce.
Co-investigators McDonald and Pryce are looking for five more volunteers in Winnipeg to take test rides in ambulances. The trial runs take patients through some of the city's bumpiest roads and parking lots in the northern part of the city.