Birgitta Wireklint Sundström
Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare
— Department of Caring Science
I work as a Professor in the research area The Human Perspective in Care; my research has a special focus on early assessment and optimal care levels in prehospital care for different patient groups. I maintain that Sweden's inhabitants have the right to safe, secure, and accessible healthcare both inside and outside of the hospital. It is challenging today to receive the right care within a reasonable timeframe when we suffer from acute unhealth and illness. It is within this problem area that I attempt to make a difference.
I conduct research projects primarily within PreHospen—Centre for Prehospital Research in collaboration with research colleagues, doctoral students, and students. We work to develop and improve care environments within prehospital emergency services. I am personally driven by a great interest in contributing to and creating evidence within care and treatment for some of the emergency settings that occur on a daily basis, such as within ambulance medical services and dispatch centres. Especially inspiring to me is strengthening the profession of ambulance nurses.
Intervention studies have, among other things, focussed on the alleviation of suffering of patients with acute chest pain, the assessment of patients with suspected stroke, and the care of the elderly with suspected hip fractures. Currently, much of my time and energy is focused on a project on care at the right level (in Swedish, Vård på Rätt Vårdnivå, or VRV). The VRV Project is financed by Länsförsäkringar Älvsborg.
I have two professional degrees, one as a certified nurse specialist in anaesthesia care and another as a nursing instructor. I have worked for 35 years at the University of Borås.
Assignments
Academic assignments within the university
• Director of PreHospen—Centre for Prehospital Research, since 1999
• Coordinator of the Forum for Prehospital R&D in the Western Götaland region, since 2008
• Member of the evaluation panel at the Swedish Higher Education Authority's (in Swedish, Universitetskanslersämbetet, or UKÄ) quality evaluation of training leading to specialist nursing, 2013-2014
• Member of the R&D Board, University of Borås, since 2013, re-elected in December 2014
Academic assignments outside the university
• Responsible for the development of the National Association for Ambulance Nurses and the Swedish Society of Nursing. (2012). Description of competencies. Certified nurse specialist with a specialisation diploma in ambulance healthcare. Available: ambssk.se
Referee
• Journal of Emergency Primary Health Care,
• Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives and
• Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
