The paramedic profession overall has transitioned from a patient-transport service to a specialised faculty of medicine in the last few decades. Likewise, paramedic training has grown to keep up with the ever-evolving demands of this profession. While some nations in the west are on the verge of integrating paramedic units in community medicine, other developing nations are still defining paramedics' professional role in an emergency. As such, if we were to map emergency care from different countries, we would see a spectrum of efficiency and development. A scan of global emergencies paints a picture of the varied situations paramedics are exposed to.
Recent news reports that an Australian teenager was viciously attacked by saltwater crocodiles after jumping into a lake for a dare. Paramedics who recovered the body of another victim nearby said that the boy was lucky to have escaped death, but sustained fatal injuries. Meanwhile in a less wild but equally barbaric incident in New York, a paramedic was run over by her own ambulance while on call. A young man entered the ambulance and reversed it, crashing into parked cars and killing a 44-year-old paramedic. Having rampantly driven the ambulance for several blocks, the man was caught by a member of the public in what is being described as a ‘heroic act’.
There continues to be a high influx of injured refugees in Middle Eastern countries, where NGOs cannot always reach the war-torn regions because of security concerns. This is where small groups of international paramedics are joining hands to rescue and treat the injured as early as possible. Heartening stories of frontline personnel running mobile hospitals have emerged from an otherwise disparaging scene of war. We hear of driverless drone ambulances and how they could be the future of emergency care, and we also hear of a patientless air-ambulance transporting a heart for an intracity transplant in India.
It is near impossible to fathom the range of emergencies paramedics encounter throughout the World. Varied natural habitats, political situations, infrastructure and healthcare systems give rise to a unique set of issues in emergency care. Therefore, it is paramount to be aware of practices and challenges from other countries. Furthermore, the shortage of paramedics in many countries means that paramedics are recruited from foreign countries large numbers. Being aware of local paramedical ethos may facilitate the move to another country's emergency care services.
It is hoped that International Paramedic Practice will provide a platform for sharing knowledge, where practitioners can draw from learnings of their peers throughout the World.