Clinical Practice

Diabetic ketoacidosis in paediatrics: tools to assist in recognition of a sick child

Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism resulting from a lack of insulin or a reduction in its biological effects..

Happy hypoxia in COVID-19: pathophysiology and pulse oximetry accuracy

Dyspnoea is characterised by the sensation of uncomfortable or difficult breathing, breathlessness or experiencing air hunger (American Thoracic Society, 1999)..

Prescribing in mental health

Anxiety and depression are primarily managed with the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline and citalopram. The risk-benefit ratio of SSRIs has been shown to be...

Focused ultrasound in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by advanced paramedics

Of the total number of OHCA emergency calls attended by the LAS for 2018, 1444 were also attended by an APP. The numbers of patients who underwent FoCUS were similar to those who did not (744/1,444:...

Non-medical prescribing by paramedics in emergency, urgent and critical care

In contrast to paramedic practice within primary care settings, advanced paramedics practising in emergency departments and in prehospital settings are more likely to encounter patients who require an...

Non-medical prescribing for paramedics in primary care

The scope of practice of a paramedic in primary care will vary between employer, and depend to some extent on what the paramedic is used for. Speaking from experience, the author's practice is mostly...

Clinical case review: out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following thyroid storm

The patient, a woman in her late 20s, suddenly collapsed at home without warning and was found to be unconscious and not breathing by her partner. Immediate basic life support was given via ambulance...

Prescribing for paramedics: pharmacodynamics

Many drugs exert their effect on the body via an action on cells. The net effect of this can be to:.

Pharmacokinetics in paramedic prescribing

Absorption is the process a drug undergoes to enter the circulation. The most common route is the oral route, where drugs are ingested orally, and then absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract into...

Understanding right ventricular myocardial infarction in prehospital care

To understand RVMI, it is necessary to look at the function of the right ventricle. According to Gupta et al (2013), the dominance of the coronary artery can be either right, left or balance. A study...

The prescribing paramedic: a pharmacology series

Pharmacology is a key component of undergraduate paramedic programmes. The HCPC (2014) and the College of Paramedics (CoP, 2019) curriculum guidance include pharmacology explicitly in standards and...

Integrating research and evidence-based guidance into prescribing practice

Both the College of Paramedics (CoP) (2018) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) (2016) are clear that, as non-medical prescribers, advanced paramedics are required to review and critically...