Paramedic practitioners and emergency admissions

doi:10.1136/bmj.39356.700139.BE

BMJ 2007;335:893-894 (3 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39356.700139.BE (published 4 October 2007)

Editorials

Paramedic practitioners and emergency admissions

Evidence suggests a positive effect, but future programmes needrigorous assessment before being expanded

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In this week's BMJ, Mason and colleagues report a cluster randomisedcontrolled trial examining the effects of a "paramedic practitioner"service in a UK urban setting.¹ The trial focused on managingolder patients without life threatening conditions who accessedthe emergency ambulance service. It aimed to increase the proportionreceiving care in the community and reduce admissions to theemergency department. It found that people in the interventiongroup were less likely to attend the emergency department (relativerisk 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 0.75) or need hospitaladmission within 28 days (0.87, 0.81 to 0.94). However, useof secondary care services after the initial episode increased(1.21, 1.06 to 1.38).

Paramedic practitioners undertook a three week theory coursefollowed by 45 days of supervised clinical experience. Theirscope of practice was restricted to common presentations consideredunlikely to result in serious injury, including falls, lacerations,epistaxis, and . . . [Full text of this article]

Malcolm Woollard, professor in prehospital and emergency care

Coventry University, Richard Crossman Building, Coventry CV1 5FB

Malcolm.woollard@coventry.ac.uk

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Effectiveness of paramedic practitioners in attending 999 calls from elderly people in the community: cluster randomised controlled trial: Suzanne Mason, Emma Knowles, Brigitte Colwell, Simon Dixon, Jim Wardrope, Robert Gorringe, Helen Snooks, Julie Perrin, and Jon Nicholl
BMJ 2007 335: 919. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]