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Evaluating the impact on 911 calls by an in-home programme with a multidisciplinary team

01 June 2012
Volume 2 · Issue 2

Abstract

Introduction

Collaboration of emergency medical services and community organisations such as primary health care providers, social service agencies, and public safety groups can enable innovative initiatives that have the potential to improve the level of health care within a community and reduce health care system pressures. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of an ‘aging at home’ program that uses an integrated health care team involving community paramedics on 911 calls.

Methods

This study involved a retrospective case series involving a chart review of clients participating in the ‘Aging at Home’ program located in a rural community in Ontario between January 1 2010 and April 30 2011. Each record was evaluated for the presenting problem and whether transport to a local hospital emergency department was initiated by using 911.

Results

Of the 129 client interactions by community paramedics and personal support workers, 13 chief complaint categories were determined and 15 incidents resulted in emergency department visits by using 911.

Conclusion

The use of community paramedics in an integrated health care team aimed at supporting clients living at home demonstrates a negative correlation in the use of 911 calls.

One of the goals of the Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (Emergency medical servicesCC), as defined in The Future of Emergency medical services in Canada: Defining the New Road Ahead (Emergency medical servicesCC, 2006) is to ‘mobilise health care. This is defined as ‘creating innovative models of service delivery to meet community-defined needs’ (Emergency medical servicesCC, 2006; The Community paramedic Program, 2009). Collaboration of emergency medical services and community organisations such as primary health care providers, social service agencies, and public safety groups can enable innovative initiatives that have the potential to improve the level of health-care within a community and reduce system pressures. The unique mobility of Emergency medical services can lead to the provision of primary health care by paramedics at the place and time where citizens need it, providing services according to the scope of practice determined and required by each community (Emergency medical servicesCC, 2006; Blacker et al, 2009).

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