Non-technical skills in paramedicine: A scoping review

This scoping review aims to identify which non-technical skills have been empirically identified in the literature, to create the first list of empirically identified non-technical skills for paramedics and allied health personnel. A five-stage scoping literature was undertaken in March 2020. The search retrieved a total of 4756 citations. A total of 93 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for data charting. A total of 26 non-technical skills were identified in the literature. The top five non-technical skills included decision-making (33%, n = 31), communication (24%, n = 23), empathy (17%, n = 16), leadership (12%, n = 12), and ethics (10%, n = 10). Furthermore, only five studies investigated the assessment or measurement of non-technical skills. This scoping review identified 26 non-technical skills that had been investigated in the paramedic literature to create the first list of empirically based desirable non-technical skills for a paramedic. Subsequently, research can then begin to focus on identifying the link that these have to paramedic practice and patient safety.