Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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The paramedic role carries inherent risk to practitioner health, due to a combination of work characteristics and the employment practices of different organizations. Emerging evidence suggests that paramedics worldwide may face a range of negative health outcomes. The purpose of this article was to systematically review the literature of paramedic health outcomes in the Australian and New Zealand context. ⋯ CRD42021232196.
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The modified Valsalva maneuver has been promoted as a safe and effective method for the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia. Serious adverse events associated with the modified Valsalva maneuver are not well documented. Here we report a case of non-sustained polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in a pregnant patient associated with the use of the modified Valsalva maneuver by paramedics in the prehospital setting.
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We assessed fidelity of delivery and participant engagement in the implementation of a community paramedic coach-led Care Transitions Intervention (CTI) program adapted for use following emergency department (ED) visits. ⋯ Community paramedic coaches delivered the adapted CTI with high fidelity across geographically distant sites and successfully facilitated participant engagement, highlighting community paramedics as an effective resource for implementing such patient-centered interventions.
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Given that the benefits of helicopter transport vary with geography and healthcare systems, we assessed transport times for rotor wing versus ground transport over a 10 year period in an urban setting. ⋯ In over 25,000 transports over 10 years, in a compact metropolitan area with relatively short transport distances and times, the use of the helicopter was associated with substantial time savings.
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The requirements for emergency medical services (EMS) medical directors are commonly defined by state rules and regulations without national standardization. The extent of variability in the requirements to be an EMS medical director in the US is unclear. The objective of this study is to describe the state requirements to function as an EMS medical director in the US. ⋯ Requirements for EMS medical direction across the US are not standardized. Many states require a medical license, but emergency medicine board certification is not a common requirement. Future work will need to focus on required competencies for EMS medical direction to set clear standards and educational requirements in the US.