Nicola Buchan – Paramedic and Lead Researcher, South East Coast Ambulance Service

When Nicola Buchan responds to an emergency call, she is doing what paramedics have always done: making fast, high-stakes clinical decisions in unpredictable environments, often without the safety net of a hospital around her. But Nicola is also asking a question that could shape the future of pre-hospital care across the NHS: are paramedics ready for artificial intelligence?

As lead researcher for the PARA-AI study, Paramedic Experiences, Understanding, and Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence in Pre-Hospital Medicine, Nicola is conducting NHS Health Research Authority-approved research supervised by SECAmb’s Research and Development team and the University of Cambridge. Using a Trust-wide survey and in-depth interviews, the study explores how frontline paramedics experience, understand, and feel about AI entering their profession.

“Clinicians are making fast, high-stakes decisions long before patients reach a hospital,” says Nicola. “Our research dives into what paramedics understand and how they feel about AI within their roles. With the NHS pushing hard toward digital transformation, now is the moment to find out whether the workforce is ready, and what support they really need.”

Nicola’s six years at SECAmb have been marked by a commitment to both frontline excellence and continuous improvement. In 2024, she won the Trust’s Alice Clark Award for outstanding achievement as a newly qualified paramedic. As a Quality Improvement Ambassador, she designed an initiative strengthening clinical feedback for STEMI cardiac presentations, improving care bundle delivery and staff engagement, work since extended to stroke presentations.

For Nicola, research and frontline practice are inseparable. “I hope this study reveals not just how prepared paramedics are for AI, but the hopes, concerns and practical realities that will shape its safe use in the future. The goal is simple: to make sure digital innovation enhances patient care, without losing the human judgement and compassion that define paramedic practice.”