(1) Background: To determine paramedics' frequency of contact with blood and other body fluids, as well as the analysis of knowledge of paramedics about blood-borne infections, their attitudes to patients infected with blood-borne viruses, and the post-exposure procedures implemented by paramedics; (2) Methods: An anonymous questionnaire among 190 paramedics working in various health care facil...

OBJECTIVE To identify the occupational risks for Australian paramedics, by describing the rate of injuries and fatalities and comparing those rates with other reports. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective descriptive study using data provided by Safe Work Australia for the period 2000-2010. The subjects were paramedics who had been injured in the course of their duties and for whom a claim h...

BACKGROUND Although it is generally accepted that paramedics attend unexpected births, there is a paucity of literature about their management of women in labour. This study aimed to investigate the caseload of women in labour attended by a statewide ambulance service in Australia during one year and the management provided by paramedics. METHODS Retrospective clinical data collected on-scene...

OBJECTIVES The objective was to determine if 9-1-1 paramedics trained in ultrasound (US) could adequately perform and interpret the Focused Assessment Sonography in Trauma (FAST) and the abdominal aortic (AA) exams in the prehospital care environment. METHODS Paramedics at two emergency medical services (EMS) agencies received a 6-hour training program in US with ongoing refresher education. ...

BACKGROUND International studies have shown that some 60% of paramedics have experienced physical violence in the workplace, and between 21-78% have experienced verbal abuse. To date, there is no Australian literature describing Australian paramedics' experience of workplace violence. OBJECTIVE To identify the percentage of paramedics who had experienced six different forms of workplace viole...

We write in response to the letter ‘UK paramedics can legally withhold resuscitation in defined circumstances’ by Bronnert et al. First, we have to mention that our article ‘Paramedics experiences and expectations concerning advance directives: A prospective, questionnaire-based, bi-centre study’1 is correct in stating that it is not legally clear-cut whether UK paramedics may withhold resuscit...

INTRODUCTION Alternative destination transportation by emergency medical services (EMS) is a subject of hot debate between those favoring all patients being evaluated by an emergency physician (EP) and those recognizing the need to reduce emergency department (ED) crowding. This study aimed to determine whether paramedics could accurately assess a patient's acuity level to determine the need to...

BACKGROUND Point-of-care ultrasound (US) is a proven diagnostic imaging tool in the emergency department (ED). Modern US devices are now more compact, affordable and portable, which has led to increased usage in austere environments. However, studies supporting the use of US in the prehospital setting are limited. The primary outcome of this pilot study was to determine if paramedics could perf...

BACKGROUND The Ambulance Services have a critical role in the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Paramedic delivered prehospital thrombolysis (PHT) has been proposed. To the authors' knowledge there has been no research carried out to ascertain the views of paramedics. METHODS The authors conducted a postal questionnaire study of 250 paramedics in the West Yorkshire Metropolitan...

BACKGROUND Paramedics are a skilled group of clinicians with expertise in airway management. Our research group has completed a trial comparing supraglottic airway devices with tracheal intubation during out of hospital cardiac arrest. This is a contentious topic amongst paramedics in the United Kingdom (UK). We explored the customs and beliefs of UK paramedics in relation to airway management,...