CSB347 Community Paramedicine

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Estimates of the proportion of patients presenting to an emergency department via ambulance that could be managed safely outside of hospital ranges from 30 - 50%. The management of these patients in a community-based or primary care setting by paramedics is termed “community paramedicine”. Community paramedicine is an area of clinical practice that aims principally to improve patient outcomes by navigating the patient more efficiently through the health care system. Paramedics working in community paramedicine are therefore required to have a detailed understanding of the health system in which they operate, possess advanced patient assessment skills and work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals. This unit expands further on content from previous units, namely CSB111, CSB335 and CSB336, and provides you with further skills and knowledge to care more holistically for patients who do not require transport to a hospital emergency department.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Describe the evolution of community paramedicine and critique the different models of care in navigating the patient efficiently through health care systems
2. Appraise the epidemiological trends of chronic health conditions in Australia and internationally, and the implications for paramedicine and service delivery
3. Develop advanced history taking, physical examination and diagnostic skills to enable independent and/or collaborative responsibility for safe clinical risk decision-making and utilise effective communication strategies to convey information, advice, instruction and professional opinion to colleagues, multi-disciplines, collaborating agencies, patients, their relatives and/or carers
4. Apply knowledge and values of the underpinning cultural safety, communication, assessment and management principles relevant to community paramedicine while creating evidence-informed, person-centred and culturally safe management plans
5. Critically examine the principles of human factors, recognition of personal and professional limitations and identify when to seek support and advice in the context of community paramedicine

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit, students learn by engaging in an array of integrated and increasingly complex case-based learning activities, online learning packages and self-directed learning activities. By sharing learning in case-based learning groups, this unit fosters a reflexive learning environment preparing students to work in diverse and multidisciplinary teams. 

You will apply directed learning to real clinical case studies through case-based learning, and to clinical simulation exercises. You are required to engage in higher order learning activities through developing culturally safe, evidence-informed, and person-centred management plans, building on existing knowledge of clinical guidelines, pathophysiology and a variety of clinical presentations. 

Community paramedicine is a subset of front-line paramedic work, used to help support patients not requiring transport through to the emergency department, instead requiring primary care and alternative care pathways.

• Support for learning
• Student Success Group support activities are embedded in CSB362
• Canvas Learning modules for academic writing

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback is provided in the following ways:

• Opportunity to receive formative feedback exist during all learning activities.
• In addition to the assessment marking rubrics, specific feedback is provided on summative assessment items.
• General feedback on summative assessments is provided during learning activities and/or via Canvas.

Feedback dialogue is facilitated during face-to-face learning opportunities during learning activities, from peers and tutors to guide your assessment.  Feedback will be facilitated by peers and tutors, regarding the progression of all unit learning outcomes throughout case based and simulation learning activities. Feedback will be relevant to the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. 

Assessment

Overview

There are two assessment items to be completed for this unit consisting of a management portfolio and a written exam.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Paramedic management portfolio

You will complete a portfolio that showcases your development of advanced clinical assessment and decision making in cases involving patients with urgent and non-emergent presentations and complex health needs in the community. It will demonstrate critical reflection on your practice, including your application of the principles of community paramedicine and cultural safety.

The reflective portfolio is an authentic assessment as it is an integral part of the paramedic professional standards to apply critical and reflective thinking to resolve clinical challenges, and to critically reflect on personal strengths, limitations and human factors to identify learning and development required to improve and adapt professional practice. (Found in AHPRA’s Professional Capabilities for Registered Paramedics found in Domains 3.2, 3.4.) As part of professional registration, paramedics need to maintain a reflective portfolio.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Examination

This assessment task will draw upon all unit learning outcomes and content. It will include multiple-choice and written responses.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Equipment and personal protective clothing:

The following equipment will be required for tutorial throughout the course. Advice will be given by your lecturer at the beginning of the semester:

• Stethoscope
• Watch with second hand or display
• Appropriate tutorial dress includes trousers/ jeans, covered shoes and a collared shirt/polo
• Personal protective equipment will be available as required during tutorials

Details on purchasing uniforms and personal protective equipment for clinical placements will be provided by your lecturer.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Talley, N and O'Connor, S. (2017) Clinical Examination: A Systematic Guide to Physical Diagnosis, 8th Edition, Elsevier, Sydney

Risk Assessment Statement

The role of a student paramedic can be hazardous. Throughout your course of study, you will be required to undertake observations with an operational crew responding to emergency calls. There is regular exposure to high speed driving, heavy lifting, body fluids, medical sharps, defibrillators and, sometimes aggressive patients in the off-campus phase of the course. During the on-campus phase, the risk is minimal and only simulated exercises are conducted. While undertaking this unit you should review the Paramedic Student HSE Manual (v8.1) on Canvas and industry occupational health and safety guidelines that protect qualified staff and students in day-to-day practice.

Course Learning Outcomes

CS43 Bachelor of Paramedic Science

1. Apply scientific knowledge and skills from paramedicine and related disciplines that focus on the needs and holistic care of the individual.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio, Examination
2. Perform reflective and safe evidence-based paramedic practice, that informs clinical decision-making across diverse paramedic care settings.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio, Examination
3. Access, evaluate, and utilise digital health information that informs holistic paramedic care and assists in intra- and inter-professional communication and clinical decision-making.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio
4. Develop and apply critical thinking and clinical reasoning and evaluation skills, that promote and achieve person-centred care.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio, Examination
5. Practice and promote the qualities of ethical conduct, social inclusivity, reflexivity and reflection, and bearing responsibility for risk management and quality assurance across a range of community settings.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio, Examination
6. Practice within a framework of human rights and cultural safety, acknowledging intersectionality, and the inalienable right to culture, values, and beliefs.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio
7. Communicate appropriately and with sensitivity to all persons, their families, carers, interprofessional teams and community leaders, to professional standards, both independently and collaboratively, to ensure safe and coordinated care, based on consensual agreement.
   Relates to: Paramedic management portfolio