Clinical Updates: July 2025

Your monthly update on clinical issues including:Clinical Practice Care and Control Powers (02:38 – 07:10)Overview of section 232 and 241 powers. Documentation: VACIS + RiskMan entries are essential.More info: See Mental Health Crisis Reform on OneAV. Verification of Death (07:10 – 08:48)Verifying death is voluntary for paramedics.Review WinOps 025 for current processes.AV is working with VicPol to improve processes.Encourage local discussion with TM/CSO about your approach. Resus Ready Campaign (08:48 –10:34)Aims to boost preparedness for cardiac arrest.Includes: equipment checks, airway readiness, skills rehearsal.Backed by patient safety reviews and cardiac arrest strategy.Goal: Ensure every paramedic is ready regardless of experience/frequency. Case 1: Pediatric respiratory case attended with only adult equipment.Reflect on the potential trajectory of cases with reference to the balance of between taking all equipment vs minimising manual handling risk Case 2: Chest rise/fall insufficient alone to assess ventilation.Use waveform capnography early and consistently.Case 3: CO₂ of 6mmHg was the only clue of incorrect tube placement in intubated asthma patient.Always consider full clinical picture and question if data doesn’t make sense.Paper of the month (14:46 – 20:55)Parental Concern in Pediatric DeteriorationAsking "Are you worried your child is getting worse?" adds predictive value.Parents who said “yes” had children:4x more likely to go to ICU/be ventilated.More likely to be admitted or have longer stays.Concern was a stronger predictor than abnormal vital signs.Recommendation: Make carer concern an active, routine part of pediatric assessment.Equipment Update (20:55 – 22:55)New absorbent transfer sheet ("large bluey") improves:Patient hygiene and comfort.Paramedic safety.Part of AV's broader equipment strategy under new Clinical Technology & Equipment Committee.Professional Development: Postgraduate Study (22:55 – 24:59)Encouragement for paramedics to pursue study outside paramedicine:Public health, digital health, systems leadership, etc.Builds capability to:Lead teams, influence policy, improve care.Resource guide in show notes; feedback encouraged.Small Steps to Transform Practice (24:59 – 26:42)Ben’s tip: Don’t rely on chest rise alone—use capnography toassess ventilation.James’s tip: Proactively ask parents if they’re worried their child is deteriorating.ResourcesAssociation between caregiver concern for clinicaldeterioration and critical illness in children presenting to hospital: a prospective cohort study https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(25)00098-7/abstractClinical Technology andEquipment Committeehttps://ambulancevic.sharepoint.com/sites/OneAV-resource-hub/_layouts/15/viewer.aspx?sourcedoc={1633f009-99d3-4d08-9805-d5fb409fec3b}

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