Advanced Paramedic Practitioner – eine Lösung für die Herausforderungen im deutschen Rettungsdienst?

Specialised paramedics (advanced paramedic practitioner, APP) play an important role in emergency medicine in English-speaking countries. APPs in the UK are able to perform more invasive procedures and have more competences than paramedics in Germany. Emergency medicine in Germany is facing challenges such as increasing numbers of alerts and a shortage of specialised staff. Reforms, including new qualifications in the rescue service, are being discussed. The government commission proposes limiting the deployment of emergency physicians to complex emergencies and expanding the qualifications of emergency paramedics. The introduction of APPs is proposed as a way of compensating for the shortage of specialised staff. The legal framework for this is in place. The introduction of APPs would be an opportunity to supplement the rescue service landscape in the highly acute area with the aim of utilising emergency medical resources in a more targeted manner, but also to close the care gap between the rescue service and general practitioners. The current change in emergency medicine must be seen as an opportunity to actively organise the rescue service. Controlled change with the involvement of all stakeholders is necessary in order to master the challenges of the coming years and to improve emergency and patient care.