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Paramedics strained by end-of-life care gaps
Paramedics' Perceptions and Experiences Providing End-of-Life Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Healthcare · 2026-10-04 · Added 17 October 2026
A UK survey of 182 paramedics found end-of-life care in the community is undermined by practical gaps — 54% often had no access to the medicines they needed, 88% couldn't reach advance care planning documentation, and only 28% felt competent in the role.
- Study type
- Cross-sectional
- Design
- Cross-sectional online survey
- Participants
- 182 paramedics (34% response rate)
- Main finding
- 54% 'always/often' lacked symptom-control medicines, 88% lacked access to advance care planning documentation, 67% reported inadequate pre-registration end-of-life education and only 28% felt very or extremely competent.
- Caveat
- One UK region with a 34% response rate — respondents plausibly more engaged with the topic than average.
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (High relevance). Community palliative response is a growing part of Australian ambulance work, and the barriers — missing ACP documents, no symptom-control medicines, out-of-hours isolation — map closely onto local experience.
Learning goal
Understand the workforce and education factors that shape paramedic confidence in providing end-of-life care.
More
- Topic: Other
- Daily scan: 17 October 2026
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