Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference (ACPIC23)

ACPIC 2023 delivered a wide range of clinical and research sessions from experts and leaders in paramedicine. Hosted in Melbourne (September 2023) the program was designed to inspire, educate and broaden horizons.

Conference theme: Lead - Evolve - Impact

A retrospective cohort study of the performance of MPDS in identifying patients requiring chest compressions at overdose prevention sites

In accordance with global recommendations for improving survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest, the provision of telephone CPR advice has been established as a standard of care for ambulance service dispatch. However, patients at overdose prevention sites may frequently present as unconscious with agonal breathing, despite not suffering a cardiac arrest and urgently needing oxygenation, ventilation, and naloxone. This retrospective cohort study of over 1.6 million patients in British Columbia, Canada, sought to examine the performance of MPDS ® in identifying patients at overdose prevention sites requiring chest compressions.

Biography: Richard Armour

Richard is an Intensive Care Paramedic and Paramedic Researcher with experience in the United Kingdom, Canada, and most recently Australia. Richard was previously the Paramedic Practice Leader for Substance Use and Harm Reduction in British Columbia, Canada, a province experiencing severe harm as a result of the on-going war on drugs. Richard’s PhD work examines the ways in which paramedics can contribute to better patient-centred outcomes for people who use alcohol and other drugs.

Moderator: Dr Scott Devenish, Associate Professor and Discipline Lead, Paramedicine, Australian Catholic University