Out-of-hospital paramedic interactions with people living with dementia: a scoping review.

This article focuses on paramedic interactions with people living with dementia in the out-of-hospital setting, highlighting the current lack of clarity and guidance regarding the paramedic role in dementia care. A scoping review of 29 studies revealed four main themes: the urgent need for dementia-specific training for paramedics, the untapped potential for paramedics to integrate into multidisciplinary dementia care teams, patterns of ambulance attendances and conveyances involving people with dementia, and variability in the documentation of dementia during paramedic care. Paramedics often feel unprepared to manage the complexities of dementia care, leading to high rates of hospital conveyance despite low intervention rates, and caregivers frequently rely on ambulance services as a last resort due to limited alternative care pathways. The review concludes that establishing research and educational priorities is essential to enhance paramedic competencies and support their effective inclusion in community-based, person-centred dementia care.