Patient Care Report (PCR)

Data Collection Type
National data collections of health and social care in Ireland
Organisation

Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC).

Year established

2005 commenced in the HSE national ambulance service and nationally over a six month period followed. Voluntary, Auxiliary and Private licensed CPG providers who operate an ambulance service commenced usage 2006 and completed 2008.

Statement of purpose

To facilitate:
1) a national framework to record accurate, complete and timely pre-hospital patient data which will provide a vital link in the continuum of patient care in the hospital/destination facility
2) robust national clinical audit
3) strategic planning
4) informs research into new skill, services/equipment.

Coverage (geographical and temporal)

2005/2006 (national statutory ambulance services)
2008 (Private, Auxiliary and Voluntary licensed CPG providers with an ambulance service).

Description/Summary

The Patient Care Report (PCR) is the principal source of patient data collection pre-hospital from time of call receipt by the pre-hospital practitioner to handover of patient at ED/destination facility. In the event of an ambulance service not utilising the PHECC PCR; the PHECC Information standard contains the data set on which any alternative PCR is designed.

Data users

Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Practitioners, medical professionals, research groups.

Data content

The PCR collects patient demographic data, detailed patient assessment clinical data, medical interventions, medications administered, destination handover data, practitioner and administrative data.

Data dictionary

Not available.
Information Standard details PCR data set.

National-level identifier variables

IHI is included on a PCR.

Equity stratifiers

Patient address is included.

Data collection methodology

Patient information is entered on the 2-part PCR in real time for every patient contact.
The PCR must be completed in all circumstances:
- All emergency calls
- All urgent calls
- All calls where a practitioner has to treat a patient
- All calls involving refusal of treatment and or transport contrary to the advice given by the practitioner
- All calls where patient is treated at scene and not transported.
Paper-based system:
A PCR copy is included in handover at the Emergency Department (ED)/destination facility and stored with the hospital record/chart. The remaining copy is returned to the licenced CPG provider organisation for storage.
ePCR also used by CPG Providers.

Clinical coding scheme

Clinical impression, mechanism of injury and incident location terminology are all compliant with ICD 10-AM.

Size of national collection

Information not available to PHECC as patient records processed and controlled by the licensed CPG provider who operates an ambulance service.

Publication frequency

No data published by PHECC on this data as PHECC publishes the standard and related patient report form only. PHECC has no oversight on data collected other than review of clinical audits submitted as a requirement of the annual licensed provider approval process.

Accessing data

Access to data through the individual licensed CPG provider who use the PCR.

Open data portal access

No.

Email contact
Telephone contact
Other comments

All PHECC information standards and related patient report forms are reviewed at least every three years to facilitate capture of care delivered in the pre-hospital environment by practitioners and compliance with national data collection standards.