Examining an Alternate Care Pathway for Mental Health and Addiction Prehospital Emergencies in Ontario, Canada: A Critical Analysis.

Paramedics in Ontario have largely been limited to transporting those with mental health or addiction (MHA)-related emergencies to the emergency department (ED). The ED has repeatedly been identified as a problematic and challenging setting for people with MHA needs. This article examines an innovative patient care model (PCM) established by the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service and its partners for specific MHA emergencies where patients were given options for care that included transportation to a Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Crisis Centre or information for support.

Impactful Approaches to Leadership on the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lived Experiences of Canadian Paramedics.

The COVID-19 outbreak offered a unique opportunity to capture the experiences of front-line practitioners during substantial and rapid changes to their daily work, including workplace policy, protocols, environment and culture, as well as changes to their overall professional role in the healthcare system. Our team of paramedic researchers collected data throughout the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, exploring the lived experiences from a paramedic viewpoint. This article will discuss impactful approaches to leadership in paramedicine - differentiating between successful and failed strategies to leading and supporting teams amid rapid change on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.

Filling the gap: Mental health and psychosocial paramedicine programming in Ontario, Canada.

Paramedics respond to acute medical and trauma emergencies in the community and transport patients to emergency departments (ED). In some cases, paramedics are not only attending calls for mental health and psychosocial care but are also connecting individuals with more appropriate services to address their needs. This study qualitatively explores to what extent there are promising practices to be learned from paramedic services that are connecting patients to mental health and psychosocial programming.

Volunteers' Experiences Delivering a Community-University Chronic Disease Health Awareness Program for South Asian Older Adults.

Volunteers and voluntary organizations can connect preventative health care programs to communities and may play an important role in addressing the health needs of older adults. Despite this, tensions may exist in the structures that drive volunteers and voluntary organizations representing immigrant communities to provide unpaid labour to augment and supplement health care services. Furthermore, organizational challenges may exist for community agencies relying on volunteers to sustain a health screening and education program.

A Critical Analysis of Debates Around Mental Health Calls in the Prehospital Setting.

Paramedics, health care workers who assess and manage health concerns in the prehospital setting, are increasingly providing psychosocial care in response to a rise in mental health call volume. Observers have construed this fact as "misuse" of paramedic services, and proposed as solutions better triaging of patients, better mental health training of paramedics, and a greater number of community mental health services. In this commentary, we argue that despite the ostensibly well-intentioned nature of these solutions, they shift attention and accountability away from relevant public policies, as well as from broader economic, social, and political determinants of mental health, while placing responsibility on those requiring services or, at best, on the health care system.

Misdiagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: 'Normal behaviour' and relative maturity.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed disorders in children, yet it remains poorly understood. Substantial controversy exists regarding correct diagnosis of ADHD, and areas of subjectivity in diagnosis have been identified. Concerns for appropriate diagnosis are critical in terms of children's educational outcomes, as well as health concerns associated with the use and potential overuse of stimulant medications.