Emergency medical technician treatment of hypoglycemia without transport.
OBJECTIVE
We examine the safety and efficacy of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) providing treatment to stable hypoglycemic patients without transport or paramedic involvement, which is currently beyond their scope of practice.


METHODS
All hypoglycemic patients treated in the field without transport for 12 months were included. We used a patient follow-up survey to compare the outcomes of EMT and paramedic-treated patients on the occurrence of repeat hypoglycemic episodes, 911 calls, and/or in-hospital reevaluation within 48 hours; patients' adhering to the provided instructions; and patient satisfaction.


RESULTS
Of 402 cases identified, we were able to contact and survey 203 (51%). There were no statistically significant differences for any of the outcome measures studied. Patients treated by EMTs (110) and paramedics (93) had 8 (7%) and 7 (8%) episodes of repeat hypoglycemia, 3 (3%) and 5 (5%) repeat 911 calls, and 9 (8%) and 10 (11%) hospital evaluations, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Emergency medical technicians performed comparably with paramedics treating hypoglycemia without transport.
Strote
Jared
J
Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Box 356123, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. strote@u.washington.edu
Simons
Reed
R
Eisenberg
Mickey
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome