Quality in practice: raising the bar

Since the formal inception of paramedicine as a profession in its own right, marked by professional registration in 2000, quality management, control, assurance and improvement have been a priority, with the first standards of proficiency for paramedics being published by the Health and Care Professions Council in 2003.

In fact, there are currently seven distinct points to adhere to listed the under the section dedicated to a paramedic's ability to assure the quality of their practice (12.1–12.7) within the current standards. These points have to do with engaging in evidence-based practice, evaluating practice systematically and participating in quality assurance programmes where appropriate as well as audit, which plays a central role. This includes understanding the role of audit in quality control and assurance, and the use of appropriate outcome measures, as well as maintaining an effective audit trail and working towards continual improvement. In addition, the standards note the importance of gathering qualitative and quantitative data to determine and evaluate service user response; evaluating and revising interventions using recognised outcome measures to align with service user needs; and the need to monitor and evaluate the quality of practice, contributing to data generation for quality assurance and improvement.