Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States and new evidence shows interventional procedures provide better outcomes for large vessel occlusions (LVO). We performed a systematic review of the literature on prehospital stroke scales used to identify LVOs comparing the scales with analysis of the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. The goal was to determine if emergency medical services (EMS) are able to accurately identify LVO in the field. ⋯ At this time, further evaluations must be done in the prehospital setting to determine the ease of use and true sensitivity and specificity of these scales in identifying LVOs.
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Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States and new evidence shows interventional procedures provide better outcomes for large vessel occlusions (LVO). We performed a systematic review of the literature on prehospital stroke scales used to identify LVOs comparing the scales with analysis of the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. The goal was to determine if emergency medical services (EMS) are able to accurately identify LVO in the field. ⋯ At this time, further evaluations must be done in the prehospital setting to determine the ease of use and true sensitivity and specificity of these scales in identifying LVOs.
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Community Paramedicine (CP) is a rapidly evolving field within prehospital care where paramedics step outside of their traditional roles of treating acute conditions to provide elements of primary and preventive care. It is unclear if current state oversight regarding the scope of practice (SOP) for paramedics provides clear guidance on the novel functions provided and skills performed by CP programs. ⋯ There is a lack of guidance and consistency regarding CP programs and scope of practice. Further studies are needed to understand best practices around regulation and oversight of CP.