Best Location and Reader Role in Usage of Emergency Manuals During Critical Events: Experienced Emergency Manual Users’ Opinion

Introduction Emergency manuals (EM) are an essential component of the response to critical events by healthcare providers, and there is strong evidence to support the benefits of utilizing EMs in crisis management. Despite the widespread utilization of EMs by providers, there is currently no national standardized protocol for EM usage, accompanied by a deficit in research on EM usage. To develop a protocol for EM utilization, factors such as the best location for EMs to be placed and the EM reader role must be determined. Methods Anesthesiologists with experience in EM use from seven hospitals participated in a survey questionnaire that was distributed to all participants through WeChat using the WenJianxen software. Survey response numbers were converted into percentages and were used to summarize the categorical variables. Results Results showed the best location of EMs used during critical events was in the anesthesia station of the operating room and that the preferred reader of EMs during critical events is the senior physician. Conclusion Our study suggests that placing EMs within close reach of the health care providers may be most efficient and that the reader of EMs should be the leader of the clinical team. These results may be applicable to the development and implementation of a national protocol for EM usage.