Redesigning Paramedicine in Canada: An Underutilized Health Human Resource in a Healthcare Crisis

Of the more than 6 million Canadians without a family doctor, at least a third say they have been looking for one for more than a year. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed fault lines in Canada's healthcare system that have been growing for decades and now, with nearly 20% of family doctors in Toronto planning on closing their practices in the next five years. Health care has reached a crisis point. Experts agree that innovative solutions are needed to improve health care coordination and access. Paramedics are uniquely positioned to respond to the crisis, with more than 35,000 currently providing care across the country. The problem, however, is that the traditional 'respond-and-transport' model of care from which paramedics have evolved is no longer meeting the needs of Canadians. As many as 65% of patients brought to hospital by paramedics are discharged directly from the emergency department. Until recently, there has been little consensus on the changing role paramedics can - or should - have in our communities, but in 2021, a national panel of experts released a visioning document for the future of paramedicine in Canada. Among other things, this document calls for paramedics to provide care along the full health and social continuum - a bold strategy that could improve access to health care in Canada. What is needed now are concrete solutions to realize the potential of paramedics as an untapped healthcare resource. Our team will assemble a pan-Canadian network of industry experts, community leaders, patients, and policymakers to develop concrete strategies to optimize the integration of paramedics into contemporary health care, guided by the principles articulated in the national visioning document. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, we will bridge the gap between service delivery and community needs in paramedicine and improve access to health care for Canadians.