February 2021
Welcome to the new BCEHS 2021 Clinical Practice guidelines.
These guidelines have been created, updated, and revised to reflect the extended responsibilities placed upon out-of-hospital care providers in British Columbia. The guidelines incorporate changes in both urgent and emergency care, in recognition of the shift towards increased proportions of the initial assessment and urgent care work undertaken by out-of-hospital providers. These new Clinical Practice Guidelines include the management of sepsis, mental health, palliative care, and vulnerable populations.
BCEHS Clinical Practice Guidelines have grown over the last 3 years as a greater focus on the clinical care delivered to patients increases. The new structure and format will continue to enable responsive updates to be produced in alignment with enhancements and advancements in care possibilities. The provincial and collaborative approach to the development will remain valuable to the out-of-hospital care providers in British Columbia.
Built within the guidelines you will find important influences from human factors and behaviors. Special situations are also more specifically detailed with high risks, toxicity, and hazardous events. The drug monographs have also seen changes and improvements to support decision making, as well as a revised list which is available to us through the pharmacy.
We are proud of our publication of these guidelines and would like to acknowledge and thank all those who developed and contributed to the standards of care and practices within them.
Building on what once were treatment guidelines, these Clinical Practice Guidelines include some significant revisions and areas of the new guidance. As we look at meeting the variety of needs for our out-of-hospital care providers, we will continue to work with our development teams and stakeholders, as well as experts, in ensuring that they can access these guidelines in an effective and timely manner in a format that suits them and the environments in which they work.