Canadian Paramedic Information System (CPIS)

Designation Number:
CSA Z1635
Standard Type:
National Standard of Canada - Domestic
Standard Development Activity:
New Standard
Status:
Proceeding to development
SDO Comment Period Start Date:
SDO Comment Period End Date:
Posted On:

Scope:

CSA intends to publish a national standard that will provide the foundation for a comprehensive Canadian Paramedic Information System (CPIS).  This standard will be based on frameworks, common taxonomies and designs and evidence related to paramedic incidents, paramedic patients, services, capabilities and communities in Canada that paramedics serve.  This standard will facilitate standardized data collection related to paramedicine across all impacted organizations.   This standard will enable organizations to share knowledge, best practice experiences, and consistent data for analysis purposes and for inclusion in a national information system (e.g., database). The requirements for the database will meet the needs of the current paramedic profession and continue to support the profession as the role evolves / changes. 

 

The content of the national Standard will serve as a valuable resource for multiple stakeholders. It will provide requirements for:

  • common taxonomies;
  • standard models, language, and definitions;
  • performance standards;
  • clinical, operational, and academic research;
  • legislation and regulation related to:
    • occupational profiles;
    • scopes of practice;

regulatory frameworks

Project need:

There is a growing base of literature and research in paramedicine, however, the profession is still relatively under-researched, under-theorized, and only now starting to develop overarching frameworks describing the field. There is a need to capture and define the Canadian paramedic experience in terms of descriptive statistics and performance measures around paramedic incidents, paramedic patients, services, capabilities and communities that paramedics serve. The current absence of standards make it difficult to ensure that paramedics are adequately supported to accomplish their role. Developing a national evidence-informed standard directly supports a CPIS, which will advance the profession by making accurate data available for: • research; • improved operational practice; • informed decision-making and policy development; • paramedic health and safety; and • patient outcomes. Over the past 15 years, paramedics have developed expertise and taken on roles to meet a number of emerging gaps and needs within the community, including provision of care in non-traditional settings (e.g., industry, in-hospital, military, and community-based care) and in specialty units and interdisciplinary teams (e.g., HUSAR, tactical, CBRNE). Paramedic practice is rapidly evolving, driven by technology, better education, advances in patient care, and changes in paramedic capabilities (e.g., fitness for work, fatigue, PTSI). These trends present challenges for operators, employers, regulators, educators, and paramedics themselves as they work to explore gaps in their communities and identify what is required to fill those gaps.

Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.

Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.