Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) refers to availing healthcare centered on the patient in an out-of-hospital environment. This is a necessary in today’s world for various reasons. For example, there is an increased demand for medical personnel and practitioners with the increase of population. Also, there is a greater motivation to reach patients in rural areas where medical facilities are not easily accessible ( MedStar Mobile Healthcare, 2014) . Lastly, MIH is needed to confront the need for a more patient oriented medical practice. Evidently, these challenges provide enough reason for Mobile Integrated Healthcare that is best delivered through a Community Paramedic Program.
Notably, adopting an MIH-CP program is suitable because it expands the reach of the medical industry. By allowing patient care outside the hospital, there is an increase in the capacity of patients being handled. Furthermore, embracing the MIH-CP program allows more individualized care for patients in the community and increases comfort as recovery takes place in a familiar environment. Financially, the MIH-CP program is likely to reduce the average medical expenditure since hospital costs for individual cases are reduced ( Crockett et al., 2017, p. 225) . Consequently, more funding goes to uplifting the standards of living. The MIH-CP program allows health care access to those beneath in poverty since the cost of services drops drastically.
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Arguably, critics believe that the MIH-CP program present a number of challenges against enforcing this approach. For instance, some worry that adopting such a community program would exact too much pressure on already under-staffed medical facilities. Also, it is believed that the project is financially draining with little room for resource accountability. Thus, the labor and resources will not be sustained over a long period of time ( Choi, Blumberg & Williams, 2016, p.364) . Additionally, the MIH-CP program may facilitated the continued misuse of medical resources such as prescription drugs among addicts. Notably these challenges can be countered by the positive impact of the MIH-CP program. Therefore, this proposal supports the thesis that Fire-based EMS Departments should implement a Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Community Paramedic Program (MIH-CP).
References
Choi, B. Y., Blumberg, C., & Williams, K. (2016). Mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine: an emerging emergency medical services concept. Annals of emergency medicine, 67(3), 361-366.
Crockett, B. M., Jasiak, K. D., Walroth, T. A., Degenkolb, K. E., Stevens, A. C., & Jung, C. M. (2017). Pharmacist involvement in a community paramedicine team. Journal of pharmacy practice, 30(2), 223-228.
MedStar Mobile Healthcare. (2014). Mobile integrated healthcare: Approach to implementation. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
