Emergency Medical Services Professionals' Attitudes About Community Paramedic Programs

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Emergency Medical Services
• Community Health

Background:

• Community paramedic (CP) programs are expanding to address increased demand on emergency services.
• Understanding emergency medical services (EMS) professionals' willingness to participate in CP programs is crucial for program development.
• This study evaluates EMS professional perceptions of CP programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the understanding of community paramedic (CP) programs among EMS professionals.
• To determine the willingness of EMS professionals to participate in CP roles.
• To explore factors influencing EMS professionals' willingness to engage in CP duties.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronic survey.
• Approximately 350 licensed EMS professionals from four states were invited to participate.
• Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multivariate logistic regression (p ≤ 0.05).

Main Results:

• A total of 283 (81%) EMS professionals participated in the survey.
• 66% of participants were willing to perform CP duties, and 58% were willing to attend additional education.
• Female participants and those with perceived available time on shift were more willing to perform CP duties.

Conclusions:

• The majority of EMS professionals surveyed understand CP programs and believe their communities are in favor of them.
• A significant portion of EMS professionals are willing to undertake CP roles and pursue further education.
• Willingness to perform CP duties is influenced by gender and perceived time availability during work shifts.