Paramedics Providing End-of-Life Care: Survey Insights
Author Information
Author(s): Natasha Campling, Joanne Turnbull, Alison Richardson, Sarah Voss, Jennifer Scott-Green, Shane Logan, Sue Latter
Primary Institution: University of Southampton
Hypothesis
What are the current practices and experiences of paramedics in delivering end-of-life care?
Conclusion
Paramedics face multiple challenges that impact their ability to provide quality end-of-life care, including lack of access to patient information and inadequate training.
Supporting Evidence
- Respondents reported lacking access to patient medical history and advance care planning documentation.
- 91% of respondents lacked patient medical history, and 98% lacked access to advance care planning documents.
- Respondents expressed a need for better training in end-of-life care.
Takeaway
Paramedics often help people who are very sick, but they sometimes don't have the information or training they need to do their best.
Methodology
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with registered paramedics across 11 NHS Trusts in England, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
Potential Biases
Self-selection of respondents may lead to overestimation of reported frequencies of attendance.
Limitations
The study may have recall bias as respondents self-selected and may represent those with a particular interest in end-of-life care.
Participant Demographics
72% of respondents were aged 21–45, with 46% registered as paramedics for 5 years or less.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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