Paramedic practice documents

Overview

The Ministry of Health, Emergency Health Services Division, is responsible under the Ambulance Act for publishing standards for patient care, documentation, safety, equipment requirements and transportation. These requirements are outlined in various paramedic practice documents such as standards, training bulletins, manuals and guides.

Standards set the requisites for paramedic practice; many are incorporated by reference in O. Reg 257/00 as made under the Ambulance Act. Training bulletins provide clarification regarding current issues or make amendments to existing standards and manuals and guides further direct practice.

Living standards

Living standards were established to update, maintain, and disseminate paramedic practice documents. This process recognizes that development and maintenance is a cyclical process in which publication of a revised version is both the end of one process and the start of another. Documents are reviewed on set maintenance cycles, but requests for change can also be made on an ad hoc basis.

To request a Change Request Form, please email ParamedicStandards@ontario.ca.
Version numbers may have up to three numeric digits and one alpha value (for example, 0.0.1.a) depending on the document’s state (but always a minimum of two). Please note:

• the first numeric digit will indicate the full update version number
• the second numeric digit will indicate the partial update version number
• the third numeric digit will indicate the update due to a reissue after a publication error (if applicable)
• the alpha value (listed after the numeric digits) will indicate the draft version number (if applicable)

Documents which stakeholders and the public can comment on are posted on the Proposed changes to documents page.

Patient care documents by reference

The standards listed in this table are incorporated by reference into O. Reg 257/00 as made under the Ambulance Act. Once a new version of a standard comes into force, it replaces the existing, in force version.

Other patient care documents, manuals and guides

The documents in the table below provide clarification regarding current issues and address such things as safety, equipment requirements and additional direction for practice.

Paramedic practice documents archive

Once a new version of a paramedic practice document comes into force, the previous version will be archived here.

To request a copy of any of the archived paramedic practice documents (documents incorporated by reference), click on the document title. If the document is in a non-accessible format, clicking on the link will automatically initiate an email to EHS to allow you to request a copy of the document.