References
Community paramedicine home visits: patient perceptions and experiences
Abstract
Background:
Community paramedicine (CP) is an emerging model of community-based healthcare delivered around the world by paramedics with additional skills, education and training. There is a lack of qualitative research on patient perceptions and experiences of this phenomenon.
Aims:
The study aimed to explore patient perceptions and experiences of CP home visits delivered by specialist paramedics (SPs) in a Scottish urban general practice home-visit setting. Patient acceptance and CP primary-care strategic value were examined.
Methods:
An explorative qualitative study using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.
Findings:
Five main themes were identified: provide a well-communicated, professional, knowledgeable and comprehensive home visit consultation; SP-patient relationship and continuity of care; acceptance of SP home visits in place of GP home visits; quicker response and an increased possibility of a home visit; and limitations of the SP role.
Conclusion:
Patient perceptions and experience of CP were positive, with patients accepting this model of care. Opportunities to improve healthcare, including better continuity or care and health monitoring, were found.
The paramedicine model of healthcare was originally built on a conventional emergency response model (Brydges et al, 2016; Martin et al, 2016). This model was one of an emergency response with protocol-driven healthcare and transportation to secondary care (Martin et al, 2016). For more than a decade now, paramedic roles have been evolving and expanding, moving away from the conventional emergency response model to meet the changing healthcare requirements of communities across the world (Martin et al, 2016).
An example of this is community paramedicine (CP), a model of community-based healthcare, implemented via a range of models to suit local need (Kizer et al, 2013). CP enables the delivery of community-based healthcare via paramedics such as specialist paramedics (SPs) who have additional knowledge, skills and training in the assessment and management of patients in primary care environments; research has highlighted the value of this (Martin et al, 2016; Abrashkin et al, 2019; Leyenaar et al, 2019; Martin and O'Meara, 2019).
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