The impact of paramedics working in primary care teams on other professionals and patient experiences: a qualitative study.

Background: Paramedics are among the professional groups identified in recent policy initiatives aimed at addressing the unsustainable workload and workforce crises in primary care. Their support aims to enhance patient access to care and alleviate the burden of workload pressures.

Aim: To explore the impact of paramedics working in primary care on primary care teams and the experiences of patients who have a clinical consultation with a paramedic in primary care.

A realist evaluation to explain and understand the role of paramedics in primary care.

Background: In response to the unsustainable workload and workforce crises in primary care, paramedics (with their generalist clinical background acquired from ambulance service experience) are increasingly employed in primary care. However, the specific contribution paramedics can offer to the primary care workforce has not been distinctly outlined. We used realist approaches to understand the ways in which paramedics impact (or not) the primary care workforce.

Using an analytic auto-netnographic approach to explore the perceptions of paramedics in primary care.

Introduction: Paramedics in the UK are moving from emergency ambulance services into primary care, where they are employed to boost the clinical workforce. Whereas there is emerging research that seeks to understand the contribution of paramedics to the primary care workforce, there is none regarding the perceptions paramedics have regarding their role in primary care.

Methods: An analytic auto-ethnography was undertaken, utilising a peripheral membership approach for online communities used by paramedics on Facebook, Reddit and Twitter (now X).

improving Pain mAnagement for childreN and young people attendeD by Ambulance (PANDA): protocol for a realist review.

Background: Each year in England, 450,000 children and young people (CYP) under 18 years of age are transported by ambulance to emergency departments. Approximately 20% of these suffer acute pain caused by illness or injury. Pain is a highly complex sensory and emotional experience.

Exploring paramedic professional identity.

The notion of a paramedic (as a title protected in law) has recently entered its third decade, but the history of the paramedic is considerably older than that. Who are we as a profession? What does it mean to be a paramedic? What makes us who we are? These intriguing and yet seldom asked philosophical questions are at the heart of this article, which is intended to provoke discussion and serve as a foundation for further inquiry into questions of identity and philosophy in paramedicine. Literature pertaining to paramedic professional identity was explored and contextualised within current paramedic practice.

The paramedics' pledge: a short commentary on its inception and development.

This article discusses the creation and evolution of a unifying pledge designed to encapsulate the identity of paramedics and convey the essence of belonging to this professional group.

Understanding the roles and work of paramedics in primary care: a national cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: This research aimed to fill a current knowledge gap, namely the current scope of clinical role of paramedics in primary care, in relation to specific constructs such a level of education and clinical experience.

Setting: The survey was distributed to paramedics in primary care across the UK through the College of Paramedics.

Participants: A total of 341 surveys were returned (male=215).

The development of community paramedicine; a restricted review.

Community paramedic roles are expanding internationally, and no review of the literature could be found to guide services in the formation of community paramedicine programmes. For this reason, the aim of this restricted review was to explore and better understand the successes and learnings of community paramedic programmes across five domains being; education requirements, models of delivery, clinical governance and supervision, scope of roles and outcomes. This restricted review was conducted by searching four databases (CENTRAL, ERIC, EMBASE, MEDLINE and Google Scholar) as well as grey literature search from 2001 until 28/12/2021.

Understanding the role of the paramedic in primary care: a realist review.

Background: Since 2002, paramedics have been working in primary care within the United Kingdom (UK), a transition also mirrored within Australia, Canada and the USA. Recent recommendations to improve UK NHS workforce capacities have led to a major push to increase the numbers of paramedics recruited into primary care. However, gaps exist in the evidence base regarding how and why these changes would work, for whom, in what context and to what extent.

Designing and implementing an educational framework for advanced paramedic practitioners rotating into primary care in North Wales.

Background: Rotational working has been offered as a solution to bridge the retention crises faced by ambulance services in the United Kingdom due to the inception of paramedics working in primary care. One project in North Wales examines the viability of rotating Advanced Paramedic Practitioners employed by Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust into primary care. As part of this project, an educational framework was developed to prepare and support Advanced Paramedic Practitioners in the provision of clinical care in primary care settings.

Contribution of paramedics in primary and urgent care: a systematic review.

Background: Within the UK, there are now opportunities for paramedics to work across a variety of healthcare settings away from their traditional ambulance service employer, with many opting to move into primary care.

Aim: To provide an overview of the types of clinical roles paramedics are undertaking in primary and urgent care settings within the UK.

Design And Setting: A systematic review.

Protocol for the impact of paramedics in NHS primary care: application of realist approaches to improve understanding and support intelligent policy and future workforce planning.

Introduction: In the United Kingdom, changing demands on ambulance services has caused a change in what is expected of a paramedic. As well as advanced life support, paramedics now need to be skilled in managing a range of urgent case presentations, with emphasis on treat-at-scene. The change in the scope of work paramedics can undertake has established their role within primary care.

Learning values in shared decision-making in undergraduate paramedic education.

Rationale: While professional values are seen as a fundamental part of element of shared decision-making, there is little research on how they are learnt within the paramedic profession.

Aims And Objectives: This study sought to understand how student paramedics developed their professional values within the ambulance practicum.

Method: 37 paramedic students and 5 paramedic educators submitted diary entries and took part in focus groups.

Does the British Heart Foundation PocketCPR training application improve confidence in bystanders performing CPR?

Objectives: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has poor prognosis and patients rarely survive unless they receive immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation from bystanders. In 2012, the British Heart Foundation launched its PocketCPR training application to simplify bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and overcome barriers to resuscitation. This study investigates whether the British Heart Foundation PocketCPR training application improves the confidence of bystanders who perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation during simulated resuscitation attempts.

The evolving role of paramedics - a NICE problem to have?

This short essay supports the growing role of paramedics in the clinical and academic workforce. We present a commentary of recent draft consultations by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in England that set out how the role of paramedics may be evolving to assist with the changing demands on the clinical workforce. Using these consultations as a basis, we extend their recommendations and suggest that the profession should also lead the academically driven evaluation of these new roles.

Can the British Heart Foundation PocketCPR application improve the performance of chest compressions during bystander resuscitation: A randomised crossover manikin study.

This study aims to determine whether the British Heart Foundation PocketCPR training application can improve the depth and rate of chest compression and therefore be confidently recommended for bystander use. A total of 118 candidates were recruited into a randomised crossover manikin trial. Each candidate performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 2 min without instruction or performed chest compressions using the PocketCPR application.