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
The College is the peak professional body representing and supporting paramedics and student paramedics across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand since 1973.
The College acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land and sea in which we live and work, we recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and culture and pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.
The College acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand.
