What does "community paramedicine" aim to achieve?

Community paramedicine aims to expand the roles of paramedics beyond traditional emergency response to include a variety of preventive and primary care services. This approach allows paramedics to engage with their communities more actively by addressing healthcare needs through preventive measures, health education, and follow-up care for patients with chronic conditions. By doing so, community paramedicine seeks to improve overall community health outcomes, reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, and provide targeted care to vulnerable populations.

Enhancing transportation methods for emergencies, providing advanced surgical procedures in the field, and training paramedics in high-risk rescue operations are not the primary focus of community paramedicine. While these are important aspects of emergency medical services, community paramedicine specifically centers on broadening healthcare delivery and fostering preventive care, which sets it apart from more traditional paramedic roles focused solely on acute care and emergency response.