Emergency medical technician treatment of hypoglycemia without transport

ObjectivesWe examine the safety and efficacy of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) providing treatment to stable hypoglycemic patients without transport or paramedic involvement, which is currently beyond their scope of practice.MethodsAll hypoglycemic patients treated in the field without transport for 12 months were included. We used a patient follow-up survey to compare the outcomes of EMT and paramedic-treated patients on the occurrence of repeat hypoglycemic episodes, 911 calls, and/or in-hospital reevaluation within 48 hours; patients' adhering to the provided instructions; and patient satisfaction.ResultsOf 402 cases identified, we were able to contact and survey 203 (51%). There were no statistically significant differences for any of the outcome measures studied. Patients treated by EMTs (110) and paramedics (93) had 8 (7%) and 7 (8%) episodes of repeat hypoglycemia, 3 (3%) and 5 (5%) repeat 911 calls, and 9 (8%) and 10 (11%) hospital evaluations, respectively.ConclusionsEmergency medical technicians performed comparably with paramedics treating hypoglycemia without transport.