British researchers say they completed the first randomized trial evaluating the effectiveness of using paramedics to manage community healthcare conditions.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield conducted the study in Sheffield, England, for a year beginning in September 2003. The study included 3,018 patients 60 years of age and over who called the emergency services at night with falls, lacerations, nosebleeds or minor burns.

A paramedic practitioner identified eligible calls and notified either a paramedic practitioner in the community or in the emergency department for the standard service.

Emergency department treatment or hospital admission between zero and 28 days was recorded, as was interval from time of call to time of discharge. Patient satisfaction was measured using a questionnaire 3 and 28 days after the incident.

Patients who had received paramedic care were nearly 25 percent less likely to go to the emergency department or require hospital admission within 28 days. They were also more likely to report being highly satisfied with their healthcare episode than those taken to the hospital.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of health outcomes and mortality 28 days after their initial episode.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 09 October 2007   

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