Two new pieces of research by our Research and Innovation Team have highlighted the benefits of a Patient and Family Aftercare Service in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). The first evaluated the positive impact that this service has on HEMS crew who meet former patients while the second focused on the benefits for a specific patient of the ongoing support that KSS provided.
The first paper, published by BMC Health Services Research, found that the anxiety felt by crew members about meetings with former patients significantly reduced following the introduction of the dedicated Patient and Family Aftercare Team at KSS.
The study was conducted using a validated anxiety scale coupled with statements drawn from experience within the aftercare team, in order to fully understand both the anxiety felt before and after visits from patients and families.
The conclusion was that a Patient and Family Aftercare Service plays an important role in reducing anxiety about patient visits amongst those involved in pre-hospital care. It suggested that future research should consider the tools used to measure anxiety in multi-disciplinary teams and evaluate these across a range of pre-hospital services.
The second paper, published in the Journal of Patient Experience, looked at aftercare in HEMS from the perspective of former patient Chris Rolfe, a farmer who was crushed by hay bales in 2022.
Chris described his accident, outlining his injuries and the support he received from our Patient and Family Aftercare Team.
The paper suggests the focus of the service should be proactive rather than reactive in providing support for patients. One of the key recommendations, which we have already trialled, is building a peer support programme to allow patients to share their lived experience with other patients with similar experiences.
The paper concluded that the benefits of an aftercare service are comprehensive and multifaceted. It said that the experience of patients should be a central driver to the development of pre-hospital emergency medicine.
Jo Griggs, our Head of Research and Innovation said: “As clinicians it is important that we examine what we have done and learn how we can improve the care we provide going forward. Although the Patient and Family Aftercare Service at KSS is relatively new, having existed for less than four years, it has helped many hundreds of patients and their families, including those who have been bereaved.
We are keen to develop the service in a way that best meets the needs of our patients. These two important pieces of research will help shape this key part of our service going forward.”
Read more about our research activity on our Research and Innovation page.
If you are a former patient or a close relative, who would like to know more about the care we provided, our Patient and Family Aftercare Team would be pleased to hear from you.
