The Professional Board for Emergency Care (PBEC) is pleased to introduce the Clinical Decision Support Tools (CDSTs) for Emergency Care Providers. These tools have been meticulously developed to enhance decision-making at emergency out-of-hospital points of care, ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients. These CDSTs serve as an adjunct to the existing Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs).
The CDSTs were developed by using the existing CPGs in conjunction with a review of contemporary literature in terms of those specific conditions. The support tools were drafted and refined using subject matter experts. These were then tested for ease of use in simulated events and refined further. It is acknowledged that the list of conditions presented is not exhaustive, but these will serve as a springboard for developing additional conditions going forward.
The tools incorporate the latest clinical guidelines and evidence-based practices, serving as an adjunct to your professional expertise. They are designed to be user-friendly, with clear patient management pathways. Digital versions of these tools are also under development, which will offer additional convenience and accessibility in the near future.
We strongly encourage you to familiarise yourself with these guidelines and integrate them into your practice. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we invite you to provid e any oes or suggestions regarding the tools. Please send your feedback to emergencycare@hpcsa.co.za by 15 February 2025. Thank you to those who have already provided feedback, which has been added to the current version.
Please kindly take note of the following information:
- Emergency care providers are reminded that the List of Capabilities and Medications as of April 2022 still applies to all registered emergency care providers and that the use of the CDST should be considered an adjunct to sound clinical judgment and reasoning.
- Minor typographical and grammatical errors have been corrected but if any additional concerns are noted, please highlight these.
- Comments around implementation suggestions, training considerations and roll-out mechanisms for the CDSTs will be welcomed and considered.
- Any additional comments may be helpful and considered by the PBEC.
Please click here for the updated version (Version 1.2, December 2024, which replaces the previous version).
The Professional Board for Emergency Care thanks practitioners for their dedication to delivering high-quality emergency care and values their input and collaboration which are essential to the ongoing improvement of these resources.
Last Updated on 23 January 2025 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs