“They’re very passionate about making sure that women stay healthy”: a qualitative examination of women’s experiences participating in a community paramedicine program

Background Community paramedicine programs (i.e., physician-directed preventive care by emergency medical services personnel embedded in communities) offer a novel approach to community-based health care. Project Swaddle, a community paramedicine program for mothers and their infants, seeks to address (directly or through referrals) the physical, mental, social, and economic needs of its participants. The objective of this process evaluation was to describe women’s experiences in Project Swaddle. By understanding their experiences, our work begins to build the foundation for similar programs and future examinations of the efficacy and effectiveness of these approaches. Methods We completed 21 interviews with women living in Indiana (July 2019–February 2020) who were currently participating in or had graduated from Project Swaddle. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a six-phase approach to thematic analysis. Results Program enrollment was influenced by the community paramedics’ experience and connections, as well as information received in the community from related clinics or organizations. Participants viewed the community paramedic as a trusted provider who supplied necessary health information and support and served as their advocate. In their role as physician extenders, the community paramedics enhanced patient care through monitoring critical situations, facilitating communication with other providers, and supporting routine healthcare. Women noted how community paramedics connected them to outside resources (i.e., other experts, tangible goods), which aimed to support their holistic health and wellbeing. Conclusions Results demonstrate Project Swaddle helped women connect with other healthcare providers, including increased access to mental health services. The community paramedics were able to help women establish care with primary care providers and pediatricians, then facilitate communication with these providers. Women were supported through their early motherhood experience, received education on parenting and taking control of their health, and gained access to resources that met their diverse needs.

The impact of community paramedicine interventions on Transfers from Long Term Care to Emergency Departments: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES: Long term care (LTC) facilities are essential in the provision of daily care needs for older adults experiencing frailty. In times of acute medical distress, LTC residents may require transfer to emergency departments (ED). However, many transfers from the LTC to ED may not be required and residents could instead be treated within LTC utilizing community paramedics (CP). We conducted a systematic review to assess the impact of community paramedicine on the frequency of resident transfer from LTC to ED. METHODS: We searched five electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane). The search was limited to primary peer-reviewed publications and excluded conference proceedings, review articles, and non-peer review articles. We restricted the search to papers published in English and articles published within the last 30 years. RESULTS: A total of 19,308 titles and abstracts were screened with a total of 181 full text reviews. One study that comprised of 4 articles was included in the review that evaluated the impact of community paramedic interventions in LTC. The study noted a reduction in transfers to the ED attributed to the presence of CP, reducing transports to ED by nearly 30%. CONCLUSIONS: There is a scarcity of research examining the role of CP in LTC. While the current research points towards CP interventions in LTC reducing the number of transfers to ED, further research needs to be conducted on the effectiveness of community paramedicine interventions in improving health outcomes for residence and improving cost efficiency within the health system.

A Retrospective Review of Patient Records and Factors Associated with Decisions Made by Community Nurse-Paramedics’ in Finland

Community paramedicine (CP) has extended the role of paramedics and the main goal is to provide non-emergency care, which reduces the visits to emergency departments. The aim of this study was to describe the Finnish CP and examine the factors that were involved in CNPs’ decision-making processes. The study was based on data from 450 consecutive CP patient records from three hospital districts. A more detailed analysis was carried out on 339 cases in patients’ homes and elderly care homes, and the data analysis included multivariate logistic regression to examine the impact of variables on the CNPs’ decisions. These patients’ most common health issues were general weakness (15.9%) and fever (10.6%), and over half (58.7%) could remain at home after the CP visit. There were five independent factors associated with the CNPs’ decisions of the patient’s care continuum: the hospital district, if the patient could walk, whether the troponin test was performed, a physician was consulted, and the nature of the task. CP units played a valuable role in non-emergency care. Understanding the factors associated with CNP decision-making can increase the safety and effectiveness of reducing hospital visits, by providing patient care at home, or in elderly care facilities.

Paramedics assessing patients with complex comorbidities in community settings: results from the CARPE study

Objectives The aim for this study was to provide information about how community paramedicine home visit programs best “navigate” their role delivering preventative care to frequent 9-1-1 users by describing demographic and clinical characteristics of their patients and comparing them to existing community care populations. Methods Our study used secondary data from standardized assessment instruments used in the delivery of home care, community support services, and community paramedicine home visit programs in Ontario. Identical assessment items from each instrument enabled comparisons of demographic, clinical, and social characteristics of community-dwelling older adults using descriptive statistics and z-tests. Results Data were analyzed for 29,938 home care clients, 13,782 community support services clients, and 136 community paramedicine patients. Differences were observed in proportions of individuals living alone between community paramedicine patients versus home care clients and community support clients (47.8%, 33.8%, and 59.9% respectively). We found higher proportions of community paramedicine patients with multiple chronic disease (87%, compared to 63% and 42%) and mental health-related conditions (43.4%, compared to 26.2% and 18.8% for depression, as an example). Conclusion When using existing community care populations as a reference group, it appears that patients seen in community paramedicine home visit programs are a distinct sub-group of the community-dwelling older adult population with more complex comorbidities, possibly exacerbated by mental illness and social isolation from living alone. Community paramedicine programs may serve as a sentinel support opportunity for patients whose health conditions are not being addressed through timely access to other existing care providers. Protocol registration ISRCTN 58273216.

Challenges and Lessons Learned From a Telehealth Community Paramedicine Program for the Prevention of Hypoglycemia: Pre-Post Pilot Feasibility Study

Background Prevention through Intervention is a community paramedicine program developed by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services in Alabama. This program aims to reduce dependency on emergency medical services (EMS) for nonemergency-related events through education and to lower the frequency of emergency calls in underserved populations. A telehealth intervention with an emphasis on hypoglycemia was implemented to (1) tailor the intervention to meet the educational needs of participants and (2) facilitate follow-ups. A pre-post pilot feasibility evaluation of the telehealth intervention was conducted. Objective This paper describes the results of the feasibility evaluation, implementation challenges, and the lessons learned about the deployment of a hypoglycemia prevention program in an underserved area and its evaluation. Methods This single-arm pretest-posttest intervention included (1) an initial in-person visit (week 1), (2) 3 weekly telecoaching calls (weeks 2-4), (3) 1 biweekly call (week 6), and (4) a final in-person visit (week 8) for collecting posttest data from individuals who called EMS due to hypoglycemic events. In-person visits included educational sessions conducted by EMS personnel. Participants’ education included tailored content related to hypoglycemia. Weekly telecoaching calls focused on hypoglycemia symptom monitoring and education reinforcement via a telehealth dashboard. The primary measures focused on feasibility measures, and exploratory measures focused on the fear of hypoglycemia, self-efficacy, and a knowledge of diabetes. Results A total of 40 participants participated in the intervention. However, the study was marred with high attrition. The various factors behind the low retention rate were discussed. There was a decreasing trend in all three subdomains of the fear of hypoglycemia from pretest to posttest. There was also a significant increase in participants’ self-efficacy in hypoglycemia self-management (P=.03). Conclusions This study shows preliminary and promising results for a community-based intervention specifically for hypoglycemia. However, the socioeconomic setting in which the intervention was delivered may have resulted in high dropout rates and low attendance during the intervention, which are considerations for future telehealth studies. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03665870; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03665870

Community paramedicine home visits: patient perceptions and experiences

Background: Community paramedicine (CP) is an emerging model of community-based healthcare delivered around the world by paramedics with additional skills, education and training. There is a lack of qualitative research on patient perceptions and experiences of this phenomenon. Aims: The study aimed to explore patient perceptions and experiences of CP home visits delivered by specialist paramedics (SPs) in a Scottish urban general practice home-visit setting. Patient acceptance and CP primary-care strategic value were examined. Methods: An explorative qualitative study using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Findings: Five main themes were identified: provide a well-communicated, professional, knowledgeable and comprehensive home visit consultation; SP-patient relationship and continuity of care; acceptance of SP home visits in place of GP home visits; quicker response and an increased possibility of a home visit; and limitations of the SP role. Conclusion: Patient perceptions and experience of CP were positive, with patients accepting this model of care. Opportunities to improve healthcare, including better continuity or care and health monitoring, were found.