Community paramedics: a scoping review of their emergence and potential impact
Abstract
The emergence of more complex professional paramedic roles such as community paramedicine raises a host of questions related to expectations, roles, and the extent to which the outcomes justify the investment in these innovations. In Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, pilot programmes and trials of different community paramedic-type models are being undertaken to test the concept, and to determine the safety and impact of these innovations (Mason et al, 2008; Blacker et al, 2009; Martin-Misener et al, 2009; Swain et al, 2010; Montera and Robinson, 2011).
These innovations in paramedic practice have often emerged organically from existing structures and local needs. There has been limited reference to developments elsewhere and they have rarely been based on empirical evidence of positive outcomes. While it can be argued that this is the result of there being a dearth of evidence (Patterson and Skillman, 2013), there may be significant work published throughout the world that is published in refereed journals and conference proceedings that are not routinely accessed by service providers or paramedics.
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