Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference (ACPIC24)

ACPIC 2024 delivered a wide range of clinical and research sessions from experts and leaders in paramedicine. Hosted in Sydney (September 2024) the program was designed to inspire, educate and broaden horizons.

Conference theme: Paramedicine's evolution – Embracing the new era

Factors associated with frequent presentation to a Victorian emergency department: An observational cohort study

This observational cohort study investigated demographic, clinical, and health utilisation factors associated with increasing levels of Emergency Department (ED) attendance at Frankston Hospital from 11/01/2017 to 10/31/2018, using multivariable negative binomial regression and logistic regression. Among 45,126 participants with 69,027 ED presentations, patients who frequently present accounted for 5.2% of the population and 9.6% of all ED attendances. Higher rates of ED presentation were associated with non-private residency and mental health concerns, with predictors of extreme presentation found to be enrolment into a hospital outreach program, and comorbidities such as cardiac arrhythmias and unhealthy alcohol use.

Biography: Kristen Spring

Kristen is an ALS paramedic with Ambulance Victoria based in the beautiful Gippsland region. She began her health career as a medical researcher investigating genetic links to Type 1 Diabetes while earning a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Master of Public Health from the University of WA. Kristen relocated to Victoria to pursue a patient-facing role in paramedicine, completing her undergraduate degree with honours from Monash University. Working in a rural location has cultivated a personal interest in the health barriers experienced by remote communities, with Kristen now focused on a future PhD in this area.

Moderator: Dr Robin Pap, Academic Program Advisor, Western Sydney University