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Many issues need to be addressed including: (a) Sustainable funding models under national access and equity principles; (b) Education, clinical training, staff recruitment and retention; (c) Safety and quality standards and the minimi-sation of patient risk; (d) Extended community care models in remote and low-volume settings; (e) Clinical governance, service accreditation and practitioner registration; (f) Adequacy of evidentiary data collection to assess patient outcomes, support service evaluation and underpin research; and (g) Infrastructure integration including communication networks and dynamic referral to manage external events and cope with capacity constraints. PA strongly believes that these issues cannot be considered in isolation. Pre hospital medicine practitioners must be involved in contributing their expertise in conjunction with other health professionals so as to create a seamless system of best practice care beginning at the point of need – the patient. To fulfil that promise PA has outlined a vision for the delivery of pre hospital medicine as part of an integrated health care system. Only by incorporating the input of paramedic clinicians into that national policy and operational arena can the best patient outcomes be achieved.
Keywords: Paramedic, Community, Pre-hospital, Inter-professional, Integrated healthcare
“…pre hospital medicine is seen and treated as a stand-alone public service like fire and police with little or no integration into the larger health care system at the local (e.g. rural health centers, visiting health/nursing services, preventive health services), or regional (hospitals and specialty centers) levels. The evolving concept of medical home services does not commonly envision pre hospital medicine as a participant…”Joint Committee on Rural Emergency Care, US National Association of State EMS Officials and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, Improving Access to EMS and Health Care in Rural Communities: A Strategic Plan, July, 2010 Paramedics Australasia (PA) is the peak professional body representing paramedics engaged in the delivery of pre hospital urgent medical care. PA has an abiding interest in policy matters that affect the access, equity, quality and effectiveness of para-medic services in the provision of pre hospital and emergency care in Australia. PA activities encompass programs of professional development, voluntary regulation, publication and other professional activities designed to enhance the standards of pre hospital medicine and thereby better protect the health and safety of the community. Paramedics have a unique perspective of patient needs and the service interface issues that commonly arise in both metropolitan and rural environments. The profession holds an in-depth knowledge of the vagaries of providing emergency care under real-life conditions and with varying infrastructure support levels. Through its expert practitioner membership PA, therefore, articulates the views of the most significant group of practitioners engaged in pre hospital urgent medical care throughout Australia. These expert views need to be harnessed through suitable advisory mechanisms that will help guide the policies of government in health care delivery. Paramedics Australasia philosophy of health care PA has endorsed the basic principles for health care espoused by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC). In keeping with these principles, PA has articulated a vision for the delivery of paramedic services within the community. Within this vision, the primary goal of PA is to help develop the full potential of pre hospital medicine as part of a health system that will deliver quality health care to all communities. Its activities thus foster policies and practices that will benefit patients through the integration of pre hospital medicine with other health care programs.
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