Granting paramedics authority to perform ultrasound tests raises questions for doctors

The Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council, after reviewing the draft regulation of the Minister of Health on qualification courses for paramedics, gives a negative opinion of the draft with regard to the qualification courses for paramedics introduced in § 2(3), which include the issue of performing an ultrasound examination on a patient in a state of emergency.

In the opinion of the Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council, there are doubts about granting paramedics who have completed a qualification course the authority to perform ultrasound examinations on a patient in a medical emergency. This authorization is even more far-reaching than in the draft regulation of the Minister of Health amending the regulation on medical emergency activities and health services other than medical emergency activities that can be provided by a paramedic, presented on December 1, 2023 for public consultation, where in the list of medical emergency activities that can be provided by a paramedic alone, it was planned to add the performance of ultrasound examination according to the FAST, FEER, BLUE, RADIUS protocols. Currently, the draft regulation under review expands the eligibility of paramedics to participate in the qualification course on the issue of performing ultrasound, as it does not indicate that it is about ultrasound according to the above-mentioned emergency protocols.

The solutions proposed in the draft ordinance under review are too far-reaching, especially considering that the law places higher requirements on physicians to perform ultrasound diagnostics.

To acquire ultrasound diagnostic skills, it should be necessary to complete at least several weeks of internship in an ultrasound laboratory and appropriate specialized supervision in the performance of these examinations. Receiving training as part of a qualification course organized at CMKP or a university training in emergency medicine is insufficient. This raises significant concerns about the quality of care and patient safety, especially when one considers that the conditions for performing ultrasound examinations outside a hospital or outpatient clinic are even more difficult due to many factors such as noise, light intensity, and the presence of other people. This imposes an additional obligation on physicians to be above-standard "vigilant" in basing further medical actions on the results of ultrasound examinations previously performed by a paramedic.

Source: NIL