Document is current

Article History

Received: 11 April 2025

Accepted: 31 October 2025

First Online: 24 December 2025

Declarations

:

: Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Cape Town (091/2021). Permission to conduct research and access AMS data sources was received from the Red Cross AMS and the WC Government Department of Health (WC_202106_006). The study adhered to ethical standards set out by the Declaration of Helsinki. Given the retrospective nature of the study and the use of anonymised patient data extracted from existing medical records, the requirement for informed consent was waived. The study involved no direct contact with patients; therefore, care was not influenced, nor did patients incur any risks or direct benefits. Only data relevant to the research question were captured. No personally identifiable information of the treating practitioners was extracted, and the data were captured under the unique service number of each IFT. All data related to the study were securely stored on the primary authors’ password-protected laptop.

: Not applicable.

: Some of the authors were employed by the Red Cross Air Medical Service (AMS) during the conduct of the study. However, the organisation did not influence data interpretation or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.