Exploration of rural paramedics' capacity for utilising a salutogenic approach to healthcare delivery : a mixed methods study

Abstract

The evolving profession of Paramedicine has been recognised as a potential solution to disparities in healthcare access in rural communities. With many rural paramedics highlighting primary healthcare as fundamental to their roles, it must be questioned whether key aspects of primary care are being overlooked due to limited paramedic training in this area. The researcher proposes that paramedics can utilise existing assessment skills and unique access to patients in home environments combined with the introduction of an assessment tool to measure sense of coherence, resources, and social determinants of health, to build patient resiliency. An extensive literature review and survey exploring current paramedics' perceptions regarding knowledge of their community's health status, the impact of social determinants of health, and their roles as frontline primary care providers, aimed to establish the feasibility of utilising paramedics in a salutogenic approach to healthcare delivery. Results found that despite some negativity, most participants recognise a need to break traditional pathogenic approaches and stressed the importance of their unique ability to address gaps in primary healthcare through their access to patients in their living environments. While solutions to rural healthcare disparities are multifaceted, this study set the platform for further studies at utilising paramedics within their normal scope.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	English