Clinical handover of the trauma and medical patient: a structured approach

‘The aim of any handover is to achieve the efficient communication of high-quality clinical information at any time when the responsibility for patient care is transferred’ (Yong et al, 2008)..

Is paramedic practice ready to adopt the NICE Transient Loss of Consciousness Guideline?

TLoC, or ‘blackout’ as it commonly referred to, is defined as the sudden loss of consciousness with complete recovery (NICE, 2010). TLoC is not a condition but a symptom which is generated by multiple...

Hands off: can paramedics be educated at a distance?

What about using distance teaching for emergency care? This area too is developing, and now has a small, but growing, evidence base. Stansfield and colleagues (2001) used distance teaching for medical...

The research paramedic: a new role

The paramedic profession has changed dramatically over recent years and continues to change. We have moved away from protocol-led treatment and more towards independent clinical decision making...

The forensic paramedic: an outline of the role and essential criteria for the job

Safety matters: an important issue

Not enough is done to ensure the safety of paramedics

‘You can never eliminate the risk of assault on staff. The risk of injury can, however, be minimised significantly by the provision of body armour for front-line ambulance personnel. Good radio...

Automated external defibrillation: implications for paramedic practice

‘The majority of sudden cardiac deaths are of ischaemic aetiology secondary to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and affect the older section (35 years) of the population. In a significant...

Violence in the workplace: implementing the Instant Aggression Model

‘There were 87.5% of paramedics exposed to workplace violence. Verbal abuse was the most prevalent form of workplace violence (82%), with intimidation (55%), physical abuse (38%), sexual harassment...