Realist evaluation of the community paramedicine at clinic (CP@clinic) programme in rural Australian community health: protocol.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The healthcare challenges associated with multimorbidity, population ageing and socioeconomic disadvantage are well known. This requires primary care services to adapt to greater population complexity and embrace new models of care. One example is the community paramedic (CP) role, which can provide screening, education and care coordination for complex and underserved populations. While relatively new in Australia, CPs have the potential to bridge primary care gaps especially in rural settings with workforce shortages. In this study, we are implementing an established and evidence-based Canadian CP programme (CP@clinic) in a new context: rural Australian community health servi..