Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Background: Accurate and timely information plays an important role in paramedicine. However, the current fragmented nature of paramedicine has made it difficult to implement high-functioning digital health information systems and has led to a duplication of effort and wasted financial resources. Other branches of healthcare have used Maturity Models (MMs) to help guide implementations of complex health information technology projects like electronic documentation. MMs provide a way to define goals and benchmark development, as well as compare practices across jurisdictions. Paramedicine currently has no such MM, and its unique contexts would make adaptation of existing models difficult. Developing paramedicine-specific MM would help advance the services delivered to patients, digital system adoption, and overall system performance by guiding how to implement electronic documentation successfully. Objective: The primary objective of this research is to develop the first MM for the adoption, integration, and implementation of electronic documentation for paramedicine and provide a robust consensus-based framework. The secondary objective is to identify and classify paramedicine leaders' views on which other aspects of paramedicine will benefit from the development and use of MMs. Methods: This project will be a "ranking-type" Delphi study and will include both Canadian and international paramedicine experts. Consisting of three phases, the study will focus on identifying what the participants deem as core levels of paramedicine documentation and describing each level. Once completed, the MM will be shared with paramedic services through academic and professional means. Significance: Developing the first paramedicine MM for electronic documentation would help services plan for future development, maximize resource use, and avoid costly pitfalls in digital implementation.