Interprofessional Prehospital Teams: Insights from New Zealand

The composition of prehospital critical care teams can influence the quality and outcomes of patient care. The Aotearoa New Zealand Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine Society (PHRM) recently released a white paper that summarized much of the  available evidence quite succinctly.

First, they lay the groundwork by describing the available evidence. A very recent meta-analysis found that physician-led interprofessional teams were associated with lower mortality and higher survival compared with paramedic-only models. This is in line with two similar previous systematic reviews by Knapp et al as well as Wilson et al.

They then take an economic and regional lens to further their argument. In New Zealand, where inter-professional physician and paramedic prehospital clinical teams already exist, they report an estimated annual cost benefit of $344 million NZD through improved outcomes and system efficiency.

Within Canada, critical care transport organizations operate under several staffing configurations with significant geographical variation in team make-up and structure. In British Columbia, vast rural and remote geography presents challenges in timely access to trauma and critical care. Med Response BC is examining models of inter-professional retrieval and rapid response that combine physicians, critical care paramedics, and nurses to enhance access to advanced care in underserved regions and support system capacity across the province.

Dr. Pierre-Marc Dion is a military family medicine resident serving with the Canadian Armed Forces. He previously worked as a registered nurse specializing in critical care and aeromedical evacuation. His clinical and research interests include prehospital care, trauma, and resuscitation, focusing on improving patient care delivery in resource-limited settings.