Читать книгу Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Paramedics - Группа авторов - Страница 66

The Medicines section begins with an overview of medicines and goes on to present more detailed information and particular characteristics about medications which can be administered by registered paramedics, provided they have the correct legal authority (HCPC, 2014; JRCALC, 2019a). Chapter 3 of this text discuses legal and ethical issues further.

Individual ambulance trusts across the UK may have variations to their local protocols and Patient Group Directives (PGDs), meaning that not all medicines listed in the JRCALC Guidelines are necessarily given by all registered paramedics across counties or countries within the UK. Paramedics should be cognisant of such variations in local protocols and check with their employing ambulance service to find out which medicines can be administered by paramedics in their local ambulance trust region.

It is important for paramedics to note that PGDs are also available for drugs which are not in the JRCALC Guidelines. This means in some situations a paramedic may find themselves administering a drug which is not listed in the reference book. In such cases, the PGD will provide guidance on the administration of these medicines specific to the local ambulance service protocols.

The Medicines section is split into a short introductory chapter called Medicines Overview, a separate chapter for each medicine listed and finally a ‘Page for Age’ section. The introductory chapter contains general information for paramedics about medicines, including safety aspects, prescribing terms, drug routes and paediatric doses. All paramedics should make themselves familiar with the information in this chapter before administering any drugs in practice.

Each specific medicine chapter contains detailed information about the presentation of the medicine, its mechanism of action, indications, contraindications, cautions and a table detailing dosage and administration across the age span. All chapters have a similar layout with the specific drug dosage and administration technique featured in a table. This pragmatic layout allows paramedics to quickly access pertinent drug information in an emergency situation (see Figure 2.2). Before administering a drug in practice, paramedics should always refer to the JRCALC Guidelines page specific to that drug to ensure correct administration.

The JRCALC Pocket Book and digital app, section 2.6, also contain this information. This enables paramedics to quickly and easily check medicines administration information in practice/on the road.