Support your Paramedics

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting almost everything in our lives and clinical practice … even medication supplies!
Increased demand is fueling medication shortages in some cases. In other cases, the active ingredient is not available locally or manufacturing has slowed down.
All of these lead to the same results: medication is harder to supply.
Some of you have already experienced the effects of medication shortages such as:

• Medication needing to be substituted, such as amiodarone and lidocaine
• Lack of prefilled syringes
• Complete lack of a medication
• Changes to medication labelling – we may get medications in other languages (there is Spanish salbutamol and ketamine in Canada now) or with other names (adrenaline instead of epinephrine)
• Changes to ampoules or vials so that they are easily mistaken: one service has ketorolac and naloxone vials that look very similar

We are actively seeking to fill the role of a full time Coordinator in our Department.

If you are passionate about what you do, motivated by improving the health of the community, excited by leading-edge medical technology, and as committed to excellence, quality and patient safety as we are, we would like to hear from you.

 

 

In early April 2016, the RPPEO introduced a new tool for Paramedics wishing to report a concern or variance. The Self Report form has been used just over 1300 times to report concerns, variances, and most importantly to help improve patient safety for everyone involved. A very big thank you to everyone who has contributed over the past 4 years.

It is time to retire the Self Report form. In its place the RPPEO is launching a new tool, the Patient Safety Incident Report. This new tool will also replace the Patch Failure tool, and allow for paramedics to report on:

1. Patient Safety Incidents
2. Good Catch/Near miss
3. Hazards
4. Documentation Issues
5. Patch Failures

 

Effective April 8, 2020

Other updates:

• Patient Care and Transportation Standards - v2.3
• Provincial Equipment Standards for Ontario Ambulance Services - v3.5
• Advanced Life Support Patient Care Standards - v4.7
• Training Bulletin No. 120 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) - v1.5

Last update: May 13, 2020

Read MedicNEWS Issue 1.4 for May 18, 2020 to go into depth on COVID-19 issues important for paramedics.