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. 2021 Feb;16(3):67-75.
doi: 10.12927/hcpol.2021.26432.

Paramedics Have Untapped Potential to Address Social Determinants of Health in Canada

Amir Allana  1 , Andrew D Pinto  2
Affiliations

Paramedics Have Untapped Potential to Address Social Determinants of Health in Canada

Amir Allana et al. Healthc Policy. 2021 Feb.

Abstract
in English, French

The role of paramedics, including select paramedics providing primary and preventive care in homes and community settings, is evolving in health systems around the world. These developments are associated with improvements in health outcomes, improved access to services and reduced emergency department use. Building on these existing trends in paramedicine, and because social conditions contribute to illness and are strong predictors of future health service use, addressing patients' social needs should be integrated into core paramedic practice in Canada. We discuss how paramedic education, culture and governance could better enable paramedics to address the social determinants of health.

Le rôle des ambulanciers paramédicaux, notamment ceux qui fournissent des soins primaires et préventifs à domicile ou en milieu communautaire, est en pleine évolution dans les systèmes de santé du monde entier. Ces changements sont associés à une amélioration des résultats cliniques, à un meilleur accès aux services et à une utilisation réduite des services d'urgence. Dans la foulée des tendances actuelles en matière de services paramédicaux – et puisque les conditions sociales influent sur l'état de santé et constituent de forts prédicteurs de l'utilisation des services de santé – il faudrait intégrer les besoins sociaux des patients dans la pratique paramédicale de base au Canada. Nous discutons de la façon dont l'éducation, la culture et la gouvernance paramédicales pourraient mieux permettre aux ambulanciparamédicaux de tenir compte des déterminants sociaux de la santé.

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