Emergency Medical Services

This CD contains material in Adobe Acrobat PDF format for PC and Macintosh users that can be viewed and printed.

Emergency medical services (EMS) systems are configured differently depending on several factors, including the size, demographics, geography, and politics of the local communities they serve. Although some information exists about the organization, financing, and delivery of EMS in the Nation’s 200 largest cities, there is less information available about how services are organized outside large urban areas, in which 75 percent of the nation’s population resides. There is little evidence to support alternative system designs and configurations in terms of their impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. To this end, there is a need to document the variation in system configurations so they may be evaluated on a common basis.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811824.pdf

The purpose of this study was to create a typology for classifying the configurations of EMS systems. The results indicate that EMS systems vary significantly, depending on factors such as the size, demographics, geography, and the communities they serve.

Clinical effectiveness studies to address EMS outcomes research require the development of sophisticated case-severity and effectiveness measures.  Outcomes research will allow future generations of Americans to have an EMS system that provides both quality and cost-effective EMS care.  This report describes a project that has laid the foundation for these clinical effectiveness studies to take place.  This project developed a "blueprint" or "set of tools" that EMS practioners can use to evaluate the effectiveness of EMS, or prehospital, care. 8.5" x 11", two color, 80 pages. 

This guide proposes a vision for the future of EMS and for EMS providers to use as a roadmap in building bridges between EMS and other aspects of our health care system.  In the 21st century, EMS will be community-based health management, with the ability to identify and modify illness and injury risks, provide acute care for those with injuries or illness and contribute to the care of those with chronic conditions.  This manual discusses the 14 EMS attributes, and provides 90 suggestions for reaching future goals for EMS delivery.  Full color, 8.5" x 11", 114 pages.

This report provides a conception for the future of EMS education in the new millenium, including a proposal for a structured system to educate new non-hospital emergency medical care providers. The proposed approach consists of five components for national EMS education: Core Content, Scope of Practice Model, Education Standards, Program Accreditation and Certification. Each of these components is discussed with regard to current practices and future goals. Two color, 8.5" x 11', 57 pages.

This report documents the need for EMS research and for elevating the science of EMS and pre-hospital care to the next level. Eight barriers to conducting EMS research are discussed and innovative solutions offered in the areas of developing researchers, facilitating collaboration, establishing a reliable funding stream, establishing alternative funding sources, recognizing the need for EMS research, viewing research as necessary for the improvement of patient care, creating reliable information systems, and enhancing ethical approaches to research. 8.5" x 11", three color, 56 pages.

This guide is designed to accompany the EMS PIER National Standard Curriculum (3P0094).  Readers can refer to this manual after completing the EMS PIER course, to help them in implementing PIER programs in their community.  Full color, 8.5" x 11".

 NHTSA s Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) presents this quarterly newsletter to keep emergency care professionals up to date on its most current programs, projects, and products.  The EMS Update replaces the EMS Liaison Report with a new, more readable format.

This consensus statement is for EMS leaders, decision-makers and providers to use in creating a culture of health promotion and safety within EMS.  The statement identifies the specific areas of injury prevention about which all EMS providers must be informed.  It identifies essential activities for EMS leaders including protecting individual EMS providers from injury, providing education on the principles of injury prevention, supporting and promoting the collection and utilization of injury prevention activities networking with prevention organizations, and participating in injury prevention interventions.  30 pages.

The report is a qualitative study and presents the findings of a consensus process that resulted in an agreement of EMS and data system stakeholders on the utility of existing data systems, and a set of elements and characteristics of the surveillance system.  It also contains a literature review of EMS workforce illness and injury.
 

http://www.ems.gov/pdf/EMSWorkforceFeasibility3.pdf

First Responder:  National Standard Curriculum - August 1995 (809 291)
First Responder:  Refresher - July 1996 (809 436)

Publication is separated into folders by section, appendices, etc.

This manual was developed to serve as a template for EMS managers who want to establish and maintain a program for continuously monitoring and improving the quality of patient care and support services in all parts of the EMS system.  It encourages EMS leaders to integrate continuous quality improvement practices as essential parts of normal EMS routines.  Full color, 8.5" x 11", 147 pages.

The 911 system was originally built as a series of independent, local operations. This worked well for the first 40 years of its operation, as almost none of the 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) were connected. As 911 evolves into an nationally interconnected web of local and state 911 systems, consistency and uniformity in operation and technology are an important issue for state and local 911 systems to address.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811369.pdf

The document will assist NHTSA and the EMS community with improving the EMS education system.  The National EMS Core Content presents the broad domain of knowledge and skills that encompass the out-of-hospital EMS disciplines by identifying general practices without delineating the general practices into specific EMS personnel levels.

The National EMS Advisory Council presents this Summary Report with the hope that it promotes clear priorities, a strong vision for the future, and thoughtful and effective leadership on vital issues facing emergency medical services throughout the United States.

Some time ago, the Council members went through a systematic process to identify the topics we con sidered most important to pursue. We began with a list of more than 80 possibilities, from which emerged a short list of top priorities. The issues highlighted in this report represent fundamental concerns—some of the most challenging and important issues of our time. They have the potential to strengthen the care we provide to patients now and in the future, and significantly enhance the sustainability of EMS while enabling us
to offer even greater value to society.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811705.pdf

This 2011 National EMS Assessment was commissioned by the Federal Interagency Committee for Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS) and funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The purpose of this document is to describe EMS, EMS emergency
preparedness, and 911 systems at the State and national levels using existing data sources. Additional insight on current issues within EMS and disaster preparedness is provided through the findings from four expert panels. Finally, a review and discussion of existing data sources, data needs, and opportunities for a future recurring national EMS assessment is provided.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/ems/pdf/811723.pdf

This report details statewide EMS guidelines for planning EMS response to pandemic influenza. Topics include continuity of operations, education, treatment protocols, decontamination and workforce protection. It combines existing guidelines and disaster response plans with current research and input from stakeholder organizations.  

-1-1 PSAPs are the public's point of access to emergency services. Call taking and dispatch must be coordinated with EMS to ensure an efficient response to requests for emergency medical care. In a pandemic worker illness and absenteeism will affect PSAPs ability to respond to transportation-related injuries. A comprehensive pandemic plan may significantly reduce the impact of an outbreak.

Since 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services and the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program (Health Resources and Services Administration), have been fortunate to work with EMS stakeholders to create and pilot test a model for developing and implementing evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) for prehospital emergency care. NHTSA is pleased to share the progress (Appendix A) of the project with the EMS community.

 

This product was first published in 1986, with subsequent revisions serving as a tool to advance EMS System functions at the State and local levels. The PIER Injury Prevention Modules are part one of a two-part revision of PIER, and focus specifically on comprehensive primary injury prevention as practiced by EMS personnel.  The textbook contains 5 modules; black and white; 220 pages, 3-hole-punched document.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation initiated a project in September 2008 titled “Solutions to Safely Transport Children in Emergency Vehicles.” The major objectives of this project were to:

1. Build consensus in the development of a uniform set of recommendations to safely and appropriately transport children (injured, ill, or uninjured) from the scene of a crash or other incident in an ambulance;

2. To foster the creation of best practice recommendations after reviewing the practices currently being used to transport children in ambulances; and

3. To provide consistent national recommendations that will be embraced by local, State and national emergency medical services organizations, enabling them to reduce the frequency of emergency transport of ill, injured or uninjured children who may be transported in an unsafe or inappropriate manner.

To achieve these major objectives, a working group was formed; the working group was comprised of members with experience, background, and extensive knowledge in the current practices of the emergency transportation of children in ground ambulances. The expert members of the working group were drawn from those organizations and entities involved in the health care of children and the emergency transportation of children and others in ground ambulances. It should be noted that throughout the remainder of this document, references to ambulances are limited to ground ambulances, unless otherwise stated. Also, based upon the deliberations of the working group, it was decided to use the terms “child” or “children” versus “youth” to the extent practical throughout the remainder of this document, to represent all children, starting at birth.

 

These short videos show you how medical conditions may affect safe driving. The videos also show some actions you can take to stay safe and mobile.

This booklet describes the administrative application and general public information related to the blue "Star of Life" emergency medical care symbol.  8.5" x 11", black and white, 12 pages.

http://ems.gov/vgn-ext-templating/ems/sol/index.htm