Paramedics suggest expanding scope of practice so EMS specialists can deal with minor ailments

With ERs across Canada closing due to staffing issues, some paramedic groups are advocating provincial governments institute community paramedicine to take up the slack. Any patient picked up by an ambulance is brought to a hospital ER, regardless of the severity of their condition. With community paramedicine, minor issues like refilling a prescription, monitoring vital signs or physical or mental health checkups are dealt with by a paramedic, on site, using their private vehicle. Paramedic associations say community paramedicine could also free up ambulances, which would only be dispatched for more serious acute cases. For example, with Winnipeg's EPIC 9, emergency calls are triaged by a regular 911 dispatcher. If the dispatcher thinks it’s appropriate to transfer a call to EPIC 9, another dispatcher determines if a community paramedic should be sent to the caller’s location to perform an on-scene triage and to determine the acuity of the situation.
Related:
Ont. expanding program allowing paramedics to take patients to places other than ER - The Canadian Press