The changing demographic of almost every MEDC in Europe and, indeed the world, will herald significant change in their social, political and financial infrastructure. This has been the case in certain counties such as Japan and Germany (who have seen their population pyramid tip to top-heavy since the early 90's) but has yet to be experienced in full force by the UK.
The increase of patients over-65 does not only mean that the emergency services will have to adapt to a shift in the immediacy, location and emergency department referral of call outs but also, and perhaps more importantly, the symptoms and treatments to administer on arrival. Inundations of particular, predictable illnesses and traumas may, to some extent, be predictable but what wont be easy to anticipate will be the plethora of multi-symptomatic geriatric patients who's treatment shall have to be tailored appropriately.
Such cases will, necessarily, heighten the scope and depth of medical knowledge that paramedics swill have to be acquainted with and be proficient at treating on-scene. This general increase of medical ‘savvy’ required by paramedics will marry well with their ongoing and successful professionalisation, as will the transition to the degree-level of education also currently on the increase for prospective paramedics. However, this is not to say that the profession will by any means, find the transition in the ensuing decades simple or easy to make. The introduction of increased medical knowledge will be demanding and very noticeable. On top of this, the sheer number of emergency call-outs will also see a steady rise as the number of paramedic and resources available begin to dwindle as the more general repercussions of an ageing population strikes the socioeconomic infrastructure of the UK as a whole.
In addition, paramedics may also find themselves with duties they have not traditionally, been expected to undertake or prepared for—such as gathering information on demographics and trends and changes in patient conditions, giving opinion as to whether an elderly patient should be committed to full-time care after multiple call-outs and conducting in-field research as to the consequences of new treatments and drugs. The average paramedic's power to prescribe may also find itself being reassessed as a consequence of the changing pre-hopsital demographic, though admittedly, in which direction it is difficult to say at the present time.
The transition will by no mean be immediate, but this does not mean that it will be an unsurprising or a insignificant challenge to overcome. Paramedics must use the momentum they have found galvanising themselves into a profession over the past decade and more to meet this impending challenge head-on. The profession is currently in a key and aspiring position to adapt and change with the NHS, as well as its own duties and the expectations of others. Leaders of the profession can, and should rely on their paramedic workforce to competently fulfil what is asked for them and trust the information and feedback of the paramedics on-scene when it is delivered to them. Similarly leader of the profession, whether ambulance bosses, university professors or members of such institutions as the College of Paramedics will need to consolidate their opinions and find compromise toward a unified future. Then, hopefully, when the profession is laden with demand along with the rest of the NHS, it will stand out in a positive light and not a poor one.