Paramedic Risk Identification

According to the AS/NZS ISO 31 000:2009, risk can be defined as the ‘effect of uncertainty on objectives’ and is often characterised by the ‘combination of the consequence of an event and the associated likelihood’ (p.1). During this process, an Ambulance Service identifies potential risks that may have an effect on the ability of its paramedics to achieve their desired goal. For the purpose of this paper, this goal has been identified as the ‘ability to effectively respond to an emergency, medically treat a patient, or patients, and transport that patient to hospital.’ The main categories of risks identified for paramedics include the following areas:

• Driving to an emergency under lights and sirens
• Parking an Ambulance at the scene of an emergency
• Attending a Scene
• Communication with other emergency personnel, dispatch and bystanders
• Treating a patient while at the scene, and
• Transporting the patient to a hospital