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Palliative care: a narrative review of information barriers faced by paramedics

02 January 2025
Volume 17 · Issue 1

Abstract

Background:

Electronic palliative care coordination systems (EPaCCS) can provide a solution to support paramedic staff. It is important to understand what needs to be in place to maximise benefits and avoid harms when providing end-of-life care (EoLC).

Aims:

To review the evidence of what is currently known about the challenges of paramedics delivering high quality EoLC, and the current use of EPaCCS.

Methods:

Narrative review of the literature, focusing on the views and opinions of ambulance emergency staff referring to palliative and EoLC and/or current use and views of EPaCCS.

Findings:

The authors included five qualitative studies, addressing three themes: lack of access to patient information; proposed electronic solution; content of electronic system.

Conclusion:

EPaCCS can support ambulance-based emergency staff with EoLC. Research is required to identify the format that information should take within the EPaCCS and the essential content needed to inform staff decision-making.

End-of-life care (EoLC) is recognised as an essential element of paramFedic practice (Kirk, 2017; Pentaris and Mehmet, 2019; Murphy and Van der Velde, 2022). The UK has an ageing population with a subsequent rise in adult mortality. In addition, healthcare costs increase sharply in the last year of life, largely as a result of repeated hospital admissions (Luta et al, 2020). When considering unscheduled care, many patients in the last year of life will access care via 999 ambulances, resulting in paramedics being increasingly involved in palliative care situations (Pentaris and Mehmet, 2019). Acknowledging this, the need for healthcare services to provide coordinated, high-quality, patient-focused EoLC is ever increasing (Age UK, 2019). Further research to understand what needs to be in place to maximise benefits and avoid harms for patients at the end of life is essential (Leniz et al, 2020).

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