Time-based tracking of temperature and humidity of emergency medical service rapid response vehicles in Qatar: a prospective observational study.

IF 2.3 3区 医学 Q1 EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nour Alhuda Alaghawani, Abrar Mohamed, Ahmed Makhlouf, Habib Kerkeni, Loua Al Shaikh, Guillaume Alinier, Alaaldin M Alkilany, Ousama Rachid
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Paramedics working in emergency medical services (EMS) routinely administer life-saving medications to patients under urgent conditions. However, these medications are frequently subjected to undocumented fluctuations in environmental conditions, particularly temperature and humidity, which may lead to drug degradation and potentially compromise patient safety. In countries like the State of Qatar, known for its elevated temperatures and humidity, the environmental exposure of EMS medications stored in rapid response cars (RRCs) has not yet been systematically assessed. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the fluctuations in temperature and humidity experienced by ambulatory medications over a 12-month period.

Methods: Six RRCs, each with three temperature and humidity loggers were utilized to collect real-life environmental data. Two loggers were placed in two paramedic bags stored at the back of the RRCs while a third logger was attached in the middle inside each car. Temperature and humidity readings were recorded at 10-minute intervals over 12 months for assessment. Data was then extracted using ElitechLog software, visualized using Python, and statistically analyzed. The mean kinetic temperature (MKT) was also calculated.

Results: Temperature values reached 59.1 and 65.7 °C in the bags and inside the RRC, respectively. The MKT exceeded the United States Pharmacopeia recommendations of 30 °C, and in some instances, it exceeded 50 °C. Little to no difference was observed between the two bags in each car however, greater temperature values and MKT violations were reported by the centrally located sensor inside the RRCs.

Conclusion: The reported MKT violations highlight the need to develop and implement improved storage strategies for EMS medications in emergency vehicles operating in extremely hot climates. However, given that medication bags are frequently exposed to high ambient temperatures when carried outside by paramedics, storage solutions alone are insufficient to fully prevent deviations from manufacturers' recommended conditions. This underscores the importance of specialized training for paramedics on stringent medication handling protocols to minimize temperature exposure and ensure drug safety and efficacy.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

卡塔尔紧急医疗服务快速反应车辆温度和湿度的时间跟踪:一项前瞻性观察研究。
背景:在紧急医疗服务(EMS)中工作的护理人员通常在紧急情况下对患者进行救命药物治疗。然而,这些药物经常受到环境条件,特别是温度和湿度的无记录波动的影响,这可能导致药物降解并可能危及患者安全。在像卡塔尔这样以高温和高湿度著称的国家,储存在快速反应车(rrc)中的EMS药物的环境暴露尚未得到系统评估。在这项研究中,我们旨在评估在12个月的时间内门诊用药所经历的温度和湿度波动。方法:利用6个rrc,每个rrc配有3个温湿度记录仪,收集真实环境数据。两台记录仪被放置在rrc后面的两个护理袋中,而第三台记录仪被安装在每辆车的中间。在12个月内每隔10分钟记录一次温度和湿度读数,以供评估。然后使用ElitechLog软件提取数据,使用Python进行可视化,并进行统计分析。计算了平均动力学温度(MKT)。结果:袋内温度值达59.1℃,RRC内温度值达65.7℃。MKT超过了美国药典建议的30°C,在某些情况下超过了50°C。在每辆车的两个袋子之间几乎没有观察到差异,但是,位于rrc内部中央的传感器报告了更高的温度值和MKT违规行为。结论:报告的MKT违规行为突出了在极端炎热气候下运行的急救车辆中制定和实施改进的EMS药物储存策略的必要性。然而,考虑到医护人员在室外携带药物袋时经常暴露在高温环境中,单独的储存溶液不足以完全防止偏离制造商推荐的条件。这强调了对护理人员进行严格的药物处理协议的专门培训的重要性,以尽量减少温度暴露并确保药物的安全性和有效性。临床试验号:不适用。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
BMC Emergency Medicine
BMC Emergency Medicine Medicine-Emergency Medicine
CiteScore
3.50
自引率
8.00%
发文量
178
审稿时长
29 weeks
期刊介绍: BMC Emergency Medicine is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all urgent and emergency aspects of medicine, in both practice and basic research. In addition, the journal covers aspects of disaster medicine and medicine in special locations, such as conflict areas and military medicine, together with articles concerning healthcare services in the emergency departments.
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