According to a prominent paramedicine academic and researcher, paramedics have the potential to provide much-needed care in the community, changing the traditional healthcare model. Research points to paramedics having a wider healthcare workforce impact based on their ability to identify and fix problems 24/7.
Dr. Brendan Shannon is Head of Postgraduate Programs in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University and a member of The Australasian College of Paramedicine. His interests including refining healthcare models, to ensure underserved communities receive requisite care. These alternative care pathways, like outreach programs, can work out of hospitals to provide care in underserved communities with social and complex chronic conditions.
Dr Shannon states, “Paramedics can be utilised in a proactive outreach manner, not just responding to emergency calls, to provide care to those who need it most. The role of paramedics needs to further evolve to see patients with chronic diseases so that they don’t end up in an emergency situation, rather than only responding to emergencies.”
Dr Shannon is a registered paramedic and academic innovating new education programs and paramedicine models of care and career pathways – including as the Education lead of the $20.3 million Australian-first Paramedic Practitioner Program being delivered by Monash University in partnership with Ambulance Victoria and Safer Care Victoria.
Australian Health Journal met with Dr Shannon to health about his research in alternative care pathways and community medicine, involving paramedic roles.
-
Sharing the same goals in value-based procurement
Value-based procurement (VBP) is a journey, not a sprint. It’s about putting the patient at the centre of quality affordable healthcare through changes in procurement practices for medical technologies. Patient outcomes drive value and sustainability, not just price. The bigger picture indicates that VBP will create system cost saving through benefitting patients, rather than trying to attain the reverse – a win-win outcome.
-
Australian Healthcare Week 2019: Pitch Fest Finalist Lumin
Startup company Lumin was a Pitch Fest Finalist at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week Expo in Sydney. The Lumin platform is used in aged care where loneliness and isolation can be a trigger for stroke and dementia. Lumin helps the connection to care providers, family members and duress monitoring services in a device that has been designed for those with dementia, vision impairment or find complex devices difficult to use.
Managing Director and Co-Founder Paul Wilson spoke at the Mepacs booth with Anne Dao from Australian Health Journal about the market they target and the design of the user experience, including the remote servicing and monitoring. The integration allows the monitoring team in the call centre see and hear the personal raising the alarm. Mepacs is a provider of personal duress alarms and have teamed up with Lumin.
-
WA and QLD RSV Immunisation programs show drops in infant hospitalisations
RSV is the number one cause of hospitalisation of Australian children under five years of age, according to the Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA). There are mounting concerns that Australians at greatest risk of severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV will miss out on protection against the lung infection, with the Federal Government failing to commit to a national RSV immunisation program.
