References
Reaching underserved people during the pandemic
Abstract
Background:
As the COVID-19 crisis evolved, many emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and community paramedics (CPs) were already positioned to engage with both the community and the health system.
Aim:
This project, based in Indiana, USA, aimed to provide resources for EMTs and CPs to build knowledge and skills necessary to use promising practices related to COVID-19 and provide culturally competent care using telehealth to improve access to care for underserved populations during the pandemic.
Methods:
Between May 2020 and April 2021, EMT and CP participants completed a retrospective pre-test and post-test assessing self-efficacy around best practices related to COVID-19 and culturally competent care using telehealth.
Findings:
Forty-nine EMTs and CPs completed the project and results demonstrate a significant (P<0.05) improvement in self-reported level of preparedness to demonstrate best practices related to COVID-19 culturally competent care using telehealth.
Conclusion:
The project identified a potentially effective strategy for increasing practitioner self-efficacy, resulting in a more effective system for caring for vulnerable individuals during a pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected racial and ethnic minority groups unequally, putting them more at risk of becoming sick and dying from the condition (Killerby et al, 2020; Stokes et al, 2020). Factors for this disparity revolve around the traditional social determinants of health of where people live, work, worship and play, and the impact on their living conditions, occupation and access to care. People from some racial and ethnic minority groups face multiple barriers to accessing healthcare and, because of various social determinants of health, many underserved communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).
Mobile integrated health and community paramedicine has served as a strong division of our healthcare workforce for years, providing a bridge between traditional healthcare services and undeserved urban and rural communities (White and Wingrove, 2012; Guy, 2014; O'Meara et al, 2016; Constantine et al, 2021).
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