Research

Global patient experience of paramedic practice

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Background: Paramedics occupy an ever-increasing role within healthcare and the development of this role should be informed by the voice of patients. This systematic literature review seeks to explore patient experience during a paramedic intervention. Methods: Using a ‘state of the art’ review style, a systematic search was conducted of the literature published between 2006 and 2018. Following PRISMA guidelines, a total of seven articles meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. A...

Burnout in Australian paramedics

Background: Burnout has consistently been identified as an issue in health professionals, with paramedics in particular frequently noted to have high burnout rates. Aims: The current study aimed to describe the prevalence of total work burnout in Australian paramedics and of three subcategories: personal, work-related and patient-related burnout. Methods: This cross-sectional online survey presented the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) to a national convenience sample (n=893) over...

Incidence, response, and outcomes of cardiac arrest in Portland, Oregon

Cardiac arrest is a serious medical event with a poor prognosis of survival, at less than 10% (Zive et al, 2011). Several studies have investigated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) response, treatment, and outcomes. Cardiac arrest databases such as the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) and the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) have been created to provide evidence-based findings to develop emergency medical service (EMS) policies for treatment. The current study was...

Obstacles to emergency medical services system design and operational features

Objective: There is a paucity of global research regarding emergency medical services (EMS) systems. EMS system processes and outcomes vary by model and jurisdiction. This study explores the individual, organisational, and system obstacles to 15 features of EMS systems. Methods: Using a multi-case study, five US EMS systems, representing five major design models, were studied. Data collection included: i) data metrics, ii) document review, iii) interviews, and iv) archival...

The profile of an emergency medical services leader: a multi-national qualitative study

This article discusses the profile of an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) leader that emerged from a larger study on how EMS leadership is learned from a multinational qualitative study of EMS providers working in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. EMS is a team-oriented profession designed to respond to emergencies and disasters. Within EMS are leaders responsible for ensuring response capabilities, which has been plagued with criticisms and shortcomings. Different leadership styles have been...

ED staff knowledge and attitudes towards the paramedic profession in Israel

Objective: To examine the level of knowledge and attitudes of emergency department (ED) personnel towards the paramedic profession in Israel, and to examine opinions of the ED staff regarding integration of paramedics into the ED work staff. Study design: Cross-sectional survey conducted among health care workers. Sample and setting: The research population was physicians and nurses in four level 1 hospitals in Israel. The sample population includes 92 physicians (approximately 61%) and 102...

Striving for the professionalisation of Australian paramedics

For paramedical practitioners to realise their full potential, national registration is an essential component in gaining recognition by the broader healthcare industry. This paper's purpose is to evaluate if the paramedic industry is considered a profession by informed members of the public in isolation from paramedic culture. An altruistic opportunity exists to engage with the consumer and affording them the opportunity to be commensurate of the issues of registration, with the pretence to...

An evaluation of high fidelity simulation training for paramedics in Ireland

Introduction: The requirement for pre-hospital practitioners to perform additional interventions is ever increasing. In Ireland the training of pre-hospital practitioners is currently developing and evolving to meet this demand. This requires the use of simulators with the capability to simulate more advanced interventions. Objectives: We wished to explore the views of pre-hospital care practitioners post participation in a pilot high fidelity simulation in...

Is the Australian paramedic discipline a profession? A national perspective

Background Over the past century the Australian paramedic discipline has gone through a dramatic evolution; moving from its origins of an ambulance driver to its current practitioner role as an integral member of the Australian health care system. However, at present the Australian paramedic discipline is not considered a full profession by the national or state governments. This begs the further question, how does the paramedic discipline within Australia view itself? Objectives This paper...

Collaboration in pre-hospital care research: the pan asian resuscitation outcomes study

The Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS) Clinical Research Network is a unique, low-cost, self-funded model of a collaborative research network in the Asia-Pacific region formed in 2010. Currently, research into pre-hospital and emergency care in the Asia-Pacific region is largely inadequate and poorly coordinated owing to the marked variations in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems and outcomes reporting. With conditions such as Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) being one of...

Prehospital care data for traffic injury prevention: what Pakistani research tells us

Pakistan is facing an increasing burden of road traffic injuries (RTI). Previous studies showed that prehospital care data could be useful in RTI burden assessment. Recently, an advanced prehospital care system based on international guidelines was established in Pakistan. Our situational analyses indicated several discrepancies in their data—for example, using single sheets for recording multiple patient data thus facilitating missing information; subjective reporting of outcome (stable or...

Community paramedics: a scoping review of their emergence and potential impact

Objectives: This paper reports on the extent of the peer-reviewed literature relating to community paramedics since the inaugural meeting of the International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine in 2005. A scoping review was undertaken to: examine the extent, range and nature of research activity; determine the value of undertaking a full systematic review; summarise and disseminate research findings; and identify research gaps in the existing literature.

Community perceptions of the professional status of the paramedic discipline

Background: Despite proactive steps towards professionalism, the Australian out-of-hospital emergency care sector has not been formally recognised as a healthcare profession among other healthcare professions and Government bodies. The objective of this study was to examine community perceptions of the ‘professional’ status of the paramedic discipline and explore which attributes community members perceive as being most desirable for paramedics.

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