The influence of emergency medical technician glucometry on paramedic involvement.

BACKGROUND: Rapid glucose testing is a valuable tool for emergency medical services (EMS) patient evaluation and treatment. In most EMS systems, paramedics, but not emergency medical technicians (EMTs), are authorized to use glucometry.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of EMT glucometry on paramedic involvement in a two-tiered EMS response system.

METHODS: King County, Washington, EMTs underwent training in glucometry to determine blood sugar levels for specific patient presentations. The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of the first 500 EMT uses of glucometry, from October 2003 through March 2004, during which time EMTs recorded their subjective assessments of this additional information on their decisions to involve paramedics.

RESULTS: Overall, glucometry results appeared to influence EMT decisions to involve paramedics. Glucometry prompted EMTs to upgrade the triage level and request paramedic evaluation for 5% of patients (n = 22); glucometry caused EMTs to downgrade the triage level, canceling already dispatched paramedics for 5% of patients (n = 23); and glucometry allowed EMTs to function without paramedics when they otherwise would have called for assistance for 11% of patients (n = 52). In an additional 12% of patients (n = 54), paramedic involvement was not actually influenced, but EMTs still indicated that glucometry would have had an effect on triage had paramedics not been present.

CONCLUSION: Use of glucometry by EMTs appears to influence the decision to involve paramedics, potentially enabling more efficient and appropriate triage.