The inaugural Primary Care Conference 2024, was hosted in May in Sandy Bay, Tasmania. This conference served as a platform for delegates to enhance their skills and contribute to the evolving landscape of primary care through valuable insights, thought-provoking presenters, and collaborative discussions.

Conference theme - Seamless synergy: Advancing paramedicine integration in healthcare. PCC24's theme emphasises the critical role of collaboration in transforming and advancing paramedicine. Positioned at the intersection of innovation, this conference encourages participants to explore the nuances of seamless teamwork, fostering an environment where integration within healthcare is paramount

Whether you're a Community Paramedic, Paramedic Practitioner, Extended Care Paramedic, or simply curious about expanding your knowledge in primary care, we strongly encourage watching all recordings from this conference.

Paramedic care at the end of life: Underprepared & underappreciated?

Paramedics are often associated with the skills, knowledge and equipment to restore life. However, resuscitation is only effective where a cardiac arrest has occurred both recently and from a reversible cause. Ambulances attend around 15% of all deaths in Australia and New Zealand. Although a wealth of paramedic education, research and clinical guidance is focused on resuscitation, little attention is given to termination of resuscitation, breaking bad news and caring for the bereaved. Everybody dies, and most of us are likely to experience many bereavements. So why does the paramedic role in end-of-life and bereavement care receive so little attention? And what is being done to improve the quality of paramedic care in the event of a death?

Biography: Dr Natalie Anderson

Dr Natalie Anderson is a senior lecturer and nurse with a background in health psychology and 25 years of clinical experience in emergency, critical care and ambulance settings. She has co-authored over thirty peer-reviewed research publications and several book chapters. Her PhD explored paramedic resuscitation decision-making, revealing the importance of paramedic preparation for termination of resuscitation, breaking bad news and care in the event of a death. Natalie is a member of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Education and Implementation Taskforce, Australasian Palliative Paramedicine Advisory Group and Te Ārai End-of-Life and Palliative Care Research Group.

Conference MC: Adj Assoc. Professor Michelle Murphy, Advocacy & Government Relations Lead, Australasian College of Paramedicine and National Manager, Integrated Care Pathways, ForHealth