The illnesses and disorders encountered by emergency medical personnel have a pathophysiological origin. It is not the responsibility of the paramedic to determine the specific cause of the disease, but it is the responsibility of the paramedic to identify the signs and symptoms and treat the patient appropriately based on the assessment. That is the primary reason why the paramedics need to better understand the process of illness, treatment options, and pathophysiology.
The increasing complexity of emergency care emphasizes clinical decision-making in emergency care. A preliminary diagnosis of emergency personnel is important in deciding how to proceed with treatment. The study carried out by Koivulahti et al. (2020) shows that patient outcomes are ameliorated by the corresponding pre-diagnosis. Pathophysiology aims to find and identify the causes of a patient’s suffering. There might be different disease causes; however, there are common mechanisms that make pathophysiology more applicable. The term describes these systems and how the body reacts to illness and injury. All of the following points deal with a variety of illnesses and illnesses in people associated with individual organ and systemic medical conditions.
Paramedics need to be familiar with the signs of shock when examining risk factors of the disease, but they also need to be familiar with the pathophysiology that causes the body’s reactions so that the etiology can be identified. Emergency treatment often reverses the cause of the illness or condition. Paramedics’ responsibilities often relate to the pathophysiology or series of events of diseases that cause organ dysfunction at the molecular and cellular levels. Once these underlying problems are understood, treatment may be aimed at eliminating the cause rather than simply treating the symptoms.
Healthcare professionals, especially paramedics, can easily transfer drug-resistant strains established in hospitals and intensive care units to patients with inadvertent physical disabilities. This can happen because the care provider has forgotten to wash their hands or follow proper infection control procedures. Before paramedics make decisions about medical procedures, they must weigh the risks and benefits of the procedure. Iatrogenic disorders that can be induced by infiltration of venous lines occur in any emergency facility, with best intentions and best practices. The purpose is to identify, analyze, monitor, and limit the damage as quickly as possible. Disease incidence and mortality trends are monitored by paramedics, nurses, and other related healthcare professionals. Physicians can prepare for the outbreak of these illnesses by recognizing the early indicators of these illnesses. This allows the patients to be properly treated at the time of disease development.
Pathophysiological changes are used by paramedics to identify illnesses. Patients will be treated according to the pathophysiological changes. The most pressing physical needs are changes in airway pathophysiology, respiration, and cardiovascular conditions. These are called maintenance ABCs. Status changes that affect ABC should be promptly involved in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. The pathology of cardiac arrest manifests itself in a lack of pulse and breathing. Due to the pathophysiology of cardiac arrest, the top priority of treatment is to initiate CPR, check the patient’s pulse and breathing, and warn the code team if necessary. If intravenous access is not available, the paramedic can initiate an intravenous line.
Significant changes in vital signs require a reassessment of the patient’s condition and reporting to a physician. Standard maintenance procedures such as patient repositioning for the treatment of hypotension can be used to provide basic care in hypotensive situations. If there are certain instructions on how to change the dosage according to blood pressure, the nurse can intervene according to the doctor’s instructions or take new orders. Paramedics should report all non-significant changes in test values that indicate pathological changes. Automatic transfers, such as adjusting doses or removing drugs based on specific test values, can define patient care priorities as well as decisive changes.
It is essential for paramedics to have a deep understanding of the pathophysiology since it contributes to identifying the causes of disease. Hence, pathophysiology facilitates the treatment and decisions making in patient care. Paramedics are often responsible for making important decisions when finding disease causes and making decisions in emergency cases. For these reasons, the knowledge of pathophysiology will make paramedics more competent and advantage the patent care quality.
Reference
Koivulahti, O., Tommila, M., & Haavisto, E. (2020). The accuracy of preliminary diagnoses made by paramedics–a cross-sectional comparative study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 28(1), 1-7. Web.