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A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study
INTRODUCTION: Search and rescue (SAR) endeavours to locate distressed individuals in remote, challenging environments. Terrestrial rescues take place on land, while aquatic rescues involve water operations. The global surge in outdoor activities has increased SAR demands, especially in challenging l...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Division of Emergency Medicine
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613221428396032 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Theunissen, Simone Stefanie Park-Ross, Jocelyn Frances |
| author2 | Stassen, Willem |
| author_browse | Park-Ross, Jocelyn Frances Stassen, Willem Theunissen, Simone Stefanie |
| author_facet | Stassen, Willem Theunissen, Simone Stefanie Park-Ross, Jocelyn Frances |
| author_sort | Theunissen, Simone Stefanie |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | INTRODUCTION: Search and rescue (SAR) endeavours to locate distressed individuals in remote, challenging environments. Terrestrial rescues take place on land, while aquatic rescues involve water operations. The global surge in outdoor activities has increased SAR demands, especially in challenging landscapes, prompting the need for efficient terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. In South Africa, SAR practices face challenges due to a lack of standardisation, governance, and clear guidelines, leading to agency communication and coordination issues. To address this, a standardised reporting and documenting framework is essential to ensure uniform terminology and documentation in helicopter SAR missions. This study focuses on the initial step of standardising reporting and documenting to overcome these challenges and improve the quality of standardised report writing and documentation, particularly following rescue missions. METHODS: A Modified Delphi survey was conducted over three rounds to obtain a sample criterion of variables for reporting and documenting terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. The first round of the Delphi study was informed by a literature review. Purposive snowball sampling was used to recruit experts in terrestrial rescue. An online survey tool offered both binary and free-text options to participants. Consensus was set at 75%. RESULTS: A panel of twenty-eight participants agreed to partake in the study, and 16 (57%) completed all three rounds. A total of 65 items were proposed to the panel for review and were grouped into five categories: temporospatial, technical, operational, patient, and clinical. A consensus of 96.9 % (63/65 items) was obtained during the first round, 77.5% consensus (31/40 items) in round two, and 33.3 % (3/9 items) at the end of round three. A total of seventy-five variables were included in the final list of items recommended to report on for terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. CONCLUSION: The study aimed to establish a standardised and universally accepted set of reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. This initiative addressed challenges from inconsistent practices, diverse terminology, and incomplete records, aiming to enhance the efficiency, communication, and effectiveness of terrestrial helicopter SAR missions in South Africa. As a result, the study successfully compiled a comprehensive list of essential variables for reporting on terrestrial helicopter SAR operations in South Africa. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41372 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:41.376Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Division of Emergency Medicine |
| publisherStr | Division of Emergency Medicine |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41372 A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study Theunissen, Simone Stefanie Park-Ross, Jocelyn Frances Stassen, Willem terrestrial helicopter rescue hoist longline HEMS rescue techniques SAR INTRODUCTION: Search and rescue (SAR) endeavours to locate distressed individuals in remote, challenging environments. Terrestrial rescues take place on land, while aquatic rescues involve water operations. The global surge in outdoor activities has increased SAR demands, especially in challenging landscapes, prompting the need for efficient terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. In South Africa, SAR practices face challenges due to a lack of standardisation, governance, and clear guidelines, leading to agency communication and coordination issues. To address this, a standardised reporting and documenting framework is essential to ensure uniform terminology and documentation in helicopter SAR missions. This study focuses on the initial step of standardising reporting and documenting to overcome these challenges and improve the quality of standardised report writing and documentation, particularly following rescue missions. METHODS: A Modified Delphi survey was conducted over three rounds to obtain a sample criterion of variables for reporting and documenting terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. The first round of the Delphi study was informed by a literature review. Purposive snowball sampling was used to recruit experts in terrestrial rescue. An online survey tool offered both binary and free-text options to participants. Consensus was set at 75%. RESULTS: A panel of twenty-eight participants agreed to partake in the study, and 16 (57%) completed all three rounds. A total of 65 items were proposed to the panel for review and were grouped into five categories: temporospatial, technical, operational, patient, and clinical. A consensus of 96.9 % (63/65 items) was obtained during the first round, 77.5% consensus (31/40 items) in round two, and 33.3 % (3/9 items) at the end of round three. A total of seventy-five variables were included in the final list of items recommended to report on for terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. CONCLUSION: The study aimed to establish a standardised and universally accepted set of reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter SAR operations. This initiative addressed challenges from inconsistent practices, diverse terminology, and incomplete records, aiming to enhance the efficiency, communication, and effectiveness of terrestrial helicopter SAR missions in South Africa. As a result, the study successfully compiled a comprehensive list of essential variables for reporting on terrestrial helicopter SAR operations in South Africa. 2025-04-09T06:51:22Z 2025-04-09T06:51:22Z 2024 2025-04-08T13:04:48Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41372 en eng application/pdf Division of Emergency Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | terrestrial helicopter rescue hoist longline HEMS rescue techniques SAR Theunissen, Simone Stefanie Park-Ross, Jocelyn Frances A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study |
| title_full | A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study |
| title_fullStr | A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study |
| title_full_unstemmed | A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study |
| title_short | A consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in South Africa through a Delphi study |
| title_sort | consensus on reporting variables for terrestrial helicopter search and rescue operations in south africa through a delphi study |
| topic | terrestrial helicopter rescue hoist longline HEMS rescue techniques SAR |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41372 |
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