ASHICE is one of several

mnemonic A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding. Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...

acronyms used by

emergency medical service Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...

s in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

to pass summarised advance details of a patient to the next group of persons or organisation dealing with them, otherwise known as a "Pre-Alert" other pre-alert acronyms include 'ATMIST' and 'CASMEET'. In the English and Welsh NHSs the procedure is not used for non-critical patients on their eventual journey to hospital but is used as standard procedure for handovers of patients before transport to hospital where a site or event is staffed by trained personnel of both paid or voluntary ambulance services. This procedure is in addition to written records of the patient's personal and medical details and any treatment or medication applied prior to transport to the hospital. The word is treated as a noun by personnel (whether first aiders, community first responders or paramedics) who might refer to e.g. 'passing an ASHICE'. The purpose of an ASHICE message is to enable persons involved in the next stage of treatment to make an advance determination of the appropriate personnel and facilities to deal with a patient and the degree of urgency to be applied.

Meaning of the acronym

The acronym is used to pass all the most vital details of the patient to the receiving hospital in order to ensure staff have all the appropriate equipment and staff assembled and prepared. *Age — Patient's age *Sex — Whether the patient is male or female *History — The immediate cause of injury or description of illness and any relevant preceding factors such as medical history and medicines taken or not taken *Injuries/illness — What injuries have been sustained, or what illness symptoms are presenting *Condition — Observations of the patient (

pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

, BP etc.), interventions used (

cannulation A cannula (; Latin meaning 'little reed'; plural or ) is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of samples. In simple terms, a cannula can surround the inner or outer surfaces ...

intubation Intubation (sometimes entubation) is a medical procedure involving the insertion of a tube into the body. Patients are generally anesthetized beforehand. Examples include tracheal intubation, and the balloon tamponade with a Sengstaken-Blakemo ...

etc.) *Events leading up to (everything else) In the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance the same acronym is used by First-Aiders in the stages between initial contact and handover (if any) to ambulance crew but the last letter is trained2015 Clinical Competence Assessment training material as 'Everything Else'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashice Medical mnemonics Mnemonic acronyms