New treatment options for rural patients

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

A change in the paramedic profession will provide greater access to health care for patients in rural Alberta.
The paramedic profession is being transferred from the Health Disciplines Act to the Health Professions Act, strengthening health care delivery in Alberta.
According to a news release from the Alberta government, the change allows paramedics to conduct a wider variety of diagnostic tests, including portable laboratory blood testing and ultrasounds. This information can help determine a wide variety of medical conditions, from infections to heart attacks. The change will allow greater access to health care in rural Alberta, and in long-term care facilities, patients’ homes and other settings outside the hospital.
“With paramedics on the frontlines of health care, they play a critical role in responding to the needs of patients,” said provincial minister of health Sarah Hoffman. “This change allows them to use their skills more widely and treat more people, both in emergency situations and on non-urgent calls.
This transition will also allow the Community Paramedic Program to expand as community care paramedics will be able to conduct more medical tests in a patient’s home and provide medication until they can access a pharmacy.
“We know that the more we can do on the front lines, the better it is for patients and the broader healthcare system,” said Darren Sandbeck, who is the chief paramedic with Alberta Health Services. “Using our community paramedic program as an example, by providing more care in the community, we are reducing pressure on emergency departments.”
The change brings flexibility for the Alberta College of Paramedics to experience medical conditions in the environment, according to Alberta College of Paramedics president Ian McEwan.
“This long awaited proclamation has propelled the profession of paramedicine to modern practice,” he noted.
Another new change is having paramedics work directly with nurse practitioners, providing more integrated health care delivery.
“This is really all about improving patient care. EMS is the first point of care for more than 320,000 Albertans every year,” said Deb Gordon, vice president and chief health operations officer of Alberta Health Services.