Patients' perspectives on point-of-care diagnostics and treatment by emergency medical technicians in acute COPD exacerbations: A qualitative study.

Background: In Denmark emergency medical technicians transport patients with acute COPD exacerbations to the nearest emergency department. From a clinical and economic perspective, this transport and assessment at the hospital may be inconvenient if the patient is immediately discharged from the emergency department. We established an emergency technical technicians point-of-care diagnostics and treatment program of patients with COPD with use of ultrasound and blood analysis.

Prehospital emergency medical technicians can perform ultrasonography and blood analysis in prehospital evaluation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a feasibility study.

Introduction: Crowding of the emergency departments is an increasing problem. Many patients with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often treated in the emergency departments for a very short period before discharged to their homes. It is possible that this treatment could take place in the patients' homes with sufficient diagnostics supporting the treatment.

Quality of focused thoracic ultrasound performed by emergency medical technicians and paramedics in a prehospital setting: a feasibility study.

Background: In a prehospital setting, the severity of respiratory symptoms in patients calling for an ambulance differ. The initial evaluation, diagnosing, and thereby management can be challenging because respiratory symptoms can be caused by disease in many organs. Ultrasound examinations can contribute with important information and support the clinical decision-making.