Continuing Professional Development: Decision making for paramedic practice

Abstract

Overview

Making decisions is something we all do several times a day. For the majority of the time, such decisions are made unconsciously or certainly with little regard or much thought or insight into the decision making process itself. However, some of life's bigger decisions tend to be taken more seriously and we often consult with others, such as family, friends and colleagues, undertake some research, or look at various websites before making these choices.

In your clinical and professional paramedic life, many of the decisions that you make on a daily basis can vary enormously; from saving someone's life, to deciding which health care professional to refer a patient to. All are undertaken with perhaps little thought to the decision making framework or theories that underpin your practice.

As many of your decisions are fundamental to patient care, it is important to have a greater understanding as to how we reach the decision that we do, why we make them and how we could improve on them. This Continuing Professional Development (CPD) module will explore some of these supporting processes and how they specifically relate to paramedic practice.