Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference (ACPIC25)
ACPIC 2025 delivered a wide range of clinical and research sessions from experts and leaders in paramedicine. Hosted in Brisbane (September 2025) the program was designed to inspire, educate and broaden horizons.
Conference theme: Foundations to future: Advancing paramedicine
Frailty documentation in the prehospital setting
Frailty is under-recognised in Australian prehospital care despite its association with adverse outcomes and availability of validated tools like the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). This retrospective cohort study analysed over 3.6 million paramedic records and found frailty was documented in just 0.5% of cases. Documentation was inconsistent, with substantial inter-paramedic variability (44%) and limited CFS use (12.2%). Paramedics predominantly focused on physical indicators rather than multidimensional assessment. These findings highlight critical implementation gaps requiring mandatory structured assessment, improved education, and system-wide strategies to enhance frailty recognition.
Biography: Lorna Martin
Lorna Martin is a registered paramedic, lecturer in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University, and a PhD candidate investigating frailty assessment and management in the prehospital setting. Her doctoral research focuses on improving care quality for vulnerable populations through the systematic implementation of frailty screening.
Moderator: Stephanie Nixon, Advanced Care Paramedic, Queensland Ambulance Service
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.
We recognise the unique role of Māori as Tangata Whenua and embrace Te Tiriti o Waitangi, recognising Māori as tino rangatiratanga of Aotearoa New Zealand while supporting the guiding principles of Te Tiriti – Tino rangatiratanga, Equality, Active protection, Options, and Partnership.
