As paramedics take on new roles they push at the ‘traditional’ boundaries of the profession.… Some of these new roles bring paramedics’ existing scope of practice to new environments. Other roles are opportunities for paramedics with expanded scopes of practice to provide alternative forms of care within their existing context of practice. Changes in patient disposition and treatment options radically change the types of decisions paramedics will make, and the educational foundation needed to function effectively.
Paramedics and paramedic educators: We know that as your roles and responsibilities evolve, so does your need for current and reliable information to support evidence-based decision making. The new Paramedics subject guide can help! It provides easy, one-stop access to resources which support research, education, and point-of-care guidance in your profession.
The Paramedics guide includes:
- Links to practice resources, including professional standards and competencies, clinical guidelines and paramedic research projects
- Specialized ebooks and ejournals to support paramedic practice and research
- A curated list of electronic databases, including point-of-care tools such as BMJ Best Practice and ClinicalKey®
- Links to continuing education resources developed by leaders in paramedicine and emergency medicine
- Recommended blogs and podcasts to help you stay current
More information and resources will be added to this guide over time, so be sure to check back often. For easy access, bookmark the guide and share widely with your colleagues: https://library.nshealth.ca/paramedics.
Contact Library Services at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca if you have suggestions or questions about the Paramedics guide.
References
Bowles, R. R., van Beek, C., & Anderson G. S. (2017). Four dimensions of paramedic practice in Canada: Defining and describing the profession. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.33151/ajp.14.3.539
Roxanne MacMillan
Librarian Educator
Library Services, Central Zone
Health information is everywhere in traditional and social media—on TV, in the news, and online. Finding and using information to guide health decisions can be overwhelming for patients and families (Abrams et al., 2021), especially when it may be misinformation (Hammes, 2021; Chowdhury et al., 2021). Given today’s complex information landscape, how can health care providers support patients and families to find and use information they can trust?
Recommend Trusted Places to Look for Information
The first step is to recommend trusted sources. Nova Scotia Health’s Subject Guides for Patients and Patient Education Pamphlets are great places to start when guidance related to a hospital visit, specific procedure, or diagnosis is needed. Patient pamphlets are also available through Nova Scotia’s public libraries.
When patients or families need more information, recommend starting with MedlinePlus®. This is an excellent online resource from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Public libraries in Nova Scotia also collect books in a variety of formats to support community consumer health. For example, Halifax Public Libraries provides access to Gale Health and Wellness, a searchable database of disease and disorder information.
Model Critical Thinking & Information Evaluation
Next, consider the health literacy of the people you support (refer to the blog post from August 30, 2021) and mitigate misinformation. Encouraging critical appraisal of information sources and promoting health literacy are effective communication strategies to help patients and families navigate the information they encounter (Abrams et al., 2021).
For example, when you need to look up evidence for a patient, or when a patient brings in a piece of health information, go through your own critical thinking process aloud. Try using the CRAAP test to encourage patients and families to evaluate information quality (Blakeslee, 2004):
Currency
Relevance
Authority
Accuracy
Purpose
By suggesting trusted sources to support the health of patients and families, and modelling critical thinking and evaluation, you can give our communities the tools they need to navigate today’s information-rich environment. Making these simple actions a part of your daily practice can also normalize asking questions.
If you need additional support with resources to recommend, please reach out to the library team for help at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca!
References
Abrams, E. M., Singer, A. G., Greenhawt, M., Stukus, D., & Shaker, M. (2021). Ten tips for improving your clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 33(2), 260–267. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0000000000000998
Beaunoyer, E., Arsenault, M., Lomanowska, A. M., & Guitton, M. J. (2017). Understanding online health information: Evaluation, tools, and strategies. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(2), 183–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.08.028
Blakeslee, S. (2004). The CRAAP Test. LOEX Quarterly, 31(3), 6–7. https://commons.emich.edu/loexquarterly/vol31/iss3/4
Chowdhury, N., Khalid, A., & Turin, T. C. (2021). Understanding misinformation infodemic during public health emergencies due to large-scale disease outbreaks: A rapid review. Journal of Public Health (Berlin), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01565-3
Hammes, L. S., Rossi, A. P., Pedrotti, L. G., Pitrez, P. M., Mutlaq, M. P., & Rosa, R. G. (2021). Is the press properly presenting the epidemiological data on COVID-19? An analysis of newspapers from 25 countries. Journal of Public Health Policy, 43(2), 359-372. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00298-7
Linda Yang
Librarian Educator