An international forum of 17 leading academics, paramedic service managers, regulators and providers has discussed the formation of a world-wide organisation to represent the paramedic profession. Representatives from five nations attended a two-day meeting in Ottawa, on 29-30 April, at which a peak body, International Paramedic, was proposed.
Australia was represented by Mr Ian Patrick the President of Paramedics Australasia and Mr Joe Acker, senior lecturer in paramedicine at the School of Biomedical Sciences at Charles Sturt University.
Mr Acker said participants at the forum, known as Paramedic G5, were united in their desire to improve how paramedic care is designed and delivered.
“The Paramedic G5 was committed to the need for a collaborative global community of sharing, partnership and learning, and identified a range of issues and opportunities to improve and evolve the provision of paramedic services, to advance the field of paramedicine, and support
the paramedic profession,” he said.
“The Paramedic G5 experts felt that it’s time for leaders of paramedic services to start thinking beyond their specific operational jurisdictions and their national borders, and to plan for the future with aspirations that respect history, reward innovation, provide value, and continually
improve the quality of care paramedics provide to patients, and thus the value they provide to communities.”
Mr Acker emphasised the provision of paramedic care is going through continual change in countries around the world. Patient and healthcare system needs are becoming more and more complex, and paramedics and other emergency medical responders are being called on to meet these needs in innovative ways.
“Consequently, our vision is to create a virtual organization of paramedics, to be known as International Paramedic, that will organise and analyse data, create a worldwide vision and strategic plan, work to implement the vision globally, and to be a resource for organisations and nations. This is just a starting point, and we expect International Paramedic will evolve as more paramedics join the virtual community."
“Clearly, there is a role for Charles Sturt University, as a leader in paramedic education, and other universities, to build advanced curricula for the future education of emergency medical providers, as well as to research models to provide the highest standards of service from emergency medical services. Only then will we understand the true impact, value and utility of paramedicine on the lives of the people we serve,” Mr Acker said.
View the story also here: http://news.csu.edu.au
