Mapping pre-hospital research presented at UK conferences between 2010 and 2023: a bibliometric study

Introduction: The growth of the paramedic profession over recent years is reflected in the growing body of publications by paramedics or related to paramedics, ambulance services and pre-hospital care. Publications are not the only method by which new knowledge can be disseminated, and conferences represent another method of dissemination. Conference presentations may or may not be published, so studying these presents a different perspective on topics of interest and research happening within the profession. This study set out to report on material presented at large conferences relevant to UK paramedics between 2010 and 2023. Methods: The project comprised a bibliometric study describing presentations from UK conferences relevant to paramedics between 2010 and 2023. Conferences relevant to paramedic practice were selected by the study team based on pre-determined criteria. Standardised forms were used to extract data on presentations and presenters. Data are presented descriptively. Results: Six large conferences (999 EMS Research Forum, Ambulance Leadership Forum, Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care Conference, College of Paramedics National Conference, Research Conference and Student Conference) were selected, and data from 43 individual conferences were collected, representing 70% of the potential conferences during this time frame. The data include 690 presentations given by 551 individual presenters. Paramedics were the most common professional group presenting. The London Ambulance Service, North East Ambulance Service and University of Sheffield were the most common institutions represented. The most common topics under discussion were policy and practice, research and trauma. The most common methodologies were qualitative. Conclusion: This study provides an overview of research presented at paramedic, ambulance service and pre-hospital conferences. A wide range of research was presented at the selected conferences by many individuals. A wide range of topics feature in the data, but high-impact, low-frequency clinical conditions, such as cardiac arrest and major trauma, feature highly.