OBJECTIVE: Research on helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in major incidents is predominately based on case descriptions reported in a heterogeneous fashion. Uniform data reported with a consensus-based template could facilitate the collection, analysis, and exchange of experiences. This type of database presently exists for major incident reporting at www.majorincidentreporting.net. This study aimed to develop a HEMS-specific major incident template. METHODS: This Delphi study included 17 prehospital critical care physicians with current or previous HEMS experience. All participants interacted through e-mail. We asked these experts to define data variables and rank which were most important to report during an immediate prehospital medical response to a major incident. Five rounds were conducted. RESULTS: In the first round, the experts suggested 98 variables. After 5 rounds, 21 variables were determined by consensus. These variables were formatted in a template with 4 main categories: HEMS background information, the major incident characteristics relevant to HEMS, the HEMS response to the major incident, and the key lessons learned. CONCLUSION: Based on opinions from European experts, we established a consensus-based template for reporting on HEMS responses to major incidents. This template will facilitate uniformity in the collection, analysis, and exchange of experience.

Airborne Intensive Care Uppsala University Hospital Sweden

Anaesthesia and Critical Care Research Group University of Tromsø Tromsø Norway; Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Hammerfest Hospital Hammerfest Norway; Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Trauma Division of Emergencies and Critical Care Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway

Anesthesia and Critical Care Research Group Department of Clinical Medicine University of Tromsø Tromsø Norway and Division of Emergency Medical Services University Hospital of North Norway Tromsø Norway

Centre for Prehospital Emergency Care Kuopio University Hospital Kuopio Finland

Danish Air Ambulance

Department of Emergency Medicine and Pre hospital Services St Olavs University Hospital Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Karolinska Institute Solna Sweden

Department of Research and Development Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation Drøbak Norway; Anaesthesia and Critical Care Research Group University of Tromsø Tromsø Norway

Department of Research and Development Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation Drøbak Norway; Department of Health Studies University of Stavanger Stavanger Norway; Air Ambulance Department Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway

Department of Research and Development Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation Drøbak Norway; Department of Health Studies University of Stavanger Stavanger Norway; Department of Anaesthesiology Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway

Department of Research and Development Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation Drøbak Norway; Department of Health Studies University of Stavanger Stavanger Norway; London's Air Ambulance

Department of Research Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation Drøbak Norway

Department of Research Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation Drøbak Norway; Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Haukeland University Hospital Bergen Norway

Emergency Medical Services of the Hradec Kralove Region Hradec Kralove Czech Republic; Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care University Hospital Hradec Kralove Hradec Kralove Czech Republic

Emergency Medicine and Services Helsinki University Hospital and Department of Emergency Medicine University of Helsinki Finland

Hungarian Air Ambulance Hungary and East Anglian Air Ambulance United Kingdom

Landspitalinn University Hospital Iceland

Mobile Emergency Care Unit Department of Anaestesiol Int Care Med Odense University Hospital Denmark

ÖAMTC Austrian Air Rescue Vienna Austria; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine AUVA Trauma Center Salzburg Paracelsus Private Medical University of Salzburg Austria Department of Health Studies University of Stavanger Stavanger Norway

Swiss Air Rescue Rega

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