Assessing Paramedic Confidence and Competence in Responding to Individuals with Neurodiversity: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Emergency medical services
• Neurodiversity in healthcare
• Paramedic education

Background:

• Paramedics play a crucial role in emergency healthcare.
• Effective management of neurodivergent patients requires specific knowledge and skills.
• Current understanding of paramedic preparedness for neurodivergent individuals is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of existing literature.
• To identify current knowledge on paramedic confidence, competence, and education regarding neurodivergent patients.
• To highlight gaps in neurodiversity-specific paramedic training.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework.
• Systematically searched and synthesized findings from relevant studies.
• Focused on literature concerning paramedic confidence, competence, preparedness, and education when engaging with neurodiverse patients.

Main Results:

• Identified four articles exploring paramedic confidence, competence, and education in managing neurodivergent patients.
• Findings indicate a need to enhance paramedic knowledge and understanding of neurodiversity.
• The literature reveals significant gaps in neurodiversity-specific training for paramedics.

Conclusions:

• Current paramedic training may not adequately prepare healthcare providers for neurodivergent patients.
• There is a clear need for increased knowledge and improved educational strategies for paramedics.
• Addressing these gaps is essential for improving the quality of care provided to neurodivergent individuals in emergency settings.