Women Birthing in Paramedic Care

Paramedics are a fundamental part of the Australian healthcare system; they deal with life and death situations and independently utilise a range of skills and pharmacology which may require complex clinical decisions. The paramedic is often the first point of contact in the patient’s entry to the healthcare system and their primary role is to deliver out-of-hospital emergency care, medical retrieval and inter-facility patient transport services. Paramedics also assess, treat and transport labouring women who require intrapartum care in the out-of-hospital setting, yet very little is known about the frequency, outcome or circumstances surrounding these cases at a national level, or the experience of mothers who birth their babies whilst being supported by paramedics. Internationally, the healthcare literature describes predisposing factors, clinical risk and maternal and neonatal clinical outcome of unplanned out-of-hospital birth. However, there is little quality research available that explores the care provided by paramedics or describes the views of women with recent experience of birth involving paramedic care. This thesis seeks to address this gap.Submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2018