Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adequate prehospital pain management is a critical component of emergency medical services. With the introduction of the paramedic profession and the Paramedics Act in Germany, the basis for more extensive competencies of paramedics was established. In many emergency medical service areas it is thus possible for paramedics to perform analgesia and sedation with esketamine/midazolam according to pre-established instructions and/or standard operating procedures. This study assessed the quality of analgesia administered to trauma patients by paramedics compared to emergency medical service physicians. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included trauma patients who received prehospital administration of analgesia by either emergency medical service physicians or paramedics and were subsequently admitted to the central emergency department of the Saarland University Hospital. A standardized data collection form was used to collect information from the emergency service protocol and initial emergency department assessment. The evaluation employed descriptive statistical methods and a total of 207 completed records were analyzed. RESULTS: Both professional groups achieved significant pain reduction and fulfilled the criteria for effective pain management (pain reduction: emergency medical service physicians 5.5 ± 2.0/paramedic 4.4 ± 2.1, p < 0.001). Emergency medical service physicians, however, more frequently attained a higher reduction in numerical rating scale scores and administered oxygen. Notable differences were observed in the range of medications used and the dosages. CONCLUSION: This study could show that prehospital analgesia is comparable between emergency medical service physicians and paramedics in terms of effectiveness for trauma patients if the indications are correctly set, while observing pre-existing instructions. With their competencies paramedics are able to perform an effective and safe analgesic treatment within the framework of preformulated procedural instructions, which can be equal to that of an emergency medical service physician.