Language validation of the air transport minimum data set: time-related terms.

Introduction: Transport times, such as time of call, are an essential part of the patient record. The purpose of this study was to validate a previously proposed minimum data set of time-related terms.

Methods: A stratified sample of 508 nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots, and communication specialists was selected to participate in the validation survey. Subjects indicated their agreement/disagreement with the proposed terms and their definitions on a scale of 1 (low) to 3 (high). In addition, subjects indicated whether they currently collect the data elements or could do so easily. Finally, subjects said whether they were willing to release aggregate data for benchmarking purposes.

Results: One-hundred-eighteen subjects (23.2%) responded to the survey with usable data. Agreement to include the terms (level 3) ranged from 71.2% to 95.8%. Agreement with the proposed definition ranged from 72.9% to 95.8%. Seventy-eight of the respondents were willing to release all the data elements.

Conclusion: Fourteen of the 19 terms are recommended for inclusion in a minimum data set for rotor-wing transport. Most persons expressed willingness to release data for benchmarking efforts.