Community Paramedicine: A Preventive Adjunct to Traditional Primary Care

ABSTRACT

Community paramedicine is an evolving field in which paramedics take on extended roles beyond emergency response. These responsibilities include monitoring of medication compliance, vaccination administration, public health, prevention and wellness, chronic disease monitoring, and various minor treatments in the patient’s own home. Pilot programs in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia have shown up to 50% decreases in emergency department admissions in targeted populations, such as the elderly and frail. Community paramedicine could become an adjunct to traditional primary care, alleviating the burden of care on family physicians and emergency departments in British Columbia’s rural communities.

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Guy A. Community Paramedicine: A Preventive Adjunct to Traditional Primary Care. UBCMJ. 2014; 6(1):17-18.