Just Published: Applying Network Theories to Explore Integrated Paramedic Care of People Who Use Drugs

In fragmented healthcare systems, paramedics are often the first and sometimes only point of care for people who use drugs (PWUD). Despite their proximity to crisis and potential to support recovery, paramedics remain underutilized in upstream, integrated models of care.

That’s the focus of our new open-access commentary, Connecting the Dots: Applying Network Theories to Enhance Integrated Paramedic Care for People Who Use Drugs, published in Systems (2025).

We explore how Network Theory (NT) and Actor Network Theory (ANT) offer useful tools to understand and strengthen the role of paramedics within complex systems of care. These theories help shift the focus from individual services to the relationships and structures that shape how care is delivered. Paramedics hold a unique position within these networks, connecting disconnected parts of the system and improving access and equity for PWUD.

Why this matters

Substance use care remains fractured and inconsistent. While some regions have introduced innovative models like paramedic-initiated buprenorphine or social prescribing, these efforts are rare, poorly evaluated, and often unsupported by policy. Without consistent guidelines, funding, or referral pathways, paramedics are often left without the tools they need to act on opportunities for care.

Network theories help us identify where these gaps exist and how paramedics can play a more strategic role in filling them. This includes understanding both human and non-human actors, such as peer responders, outreach workers, policies, technologies, and clinical guidelines. Paramedics are not just responders. They are potential navigators, connectors, and advocates within the broader system.

Key takeaways from the commentary:

• Paramedics often sit at the intersection of acute and community care, making them essential connectors in harm reduction and recovery pathways

• Network Theory helps identify who holds influence and how well-connected different parts of the system are

• Actor Network Theory highlights how non-human elements like policies and tools shape care outcomes

• Improving care for PWUD requires more than education. It demands systems-level alignment and policy support

• Paramedics have a critical role to play in advocacy, systems design, and upstream reform

  
  

What’s next

This commentary is part of my ongoing PhD research, which explores how policy, systems, and paramedic practice intersect in the care of people who use drugs. It also comes with the launch of a new podcast series to support the translation of knowledge alongside future publications. The podcast, Connecting the Dots: Paramedics, Policy, and Possibility, will feature recent publications, systems thinking, and emerging ideas for paramedic-led reform.

Read the full article:https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13070605